


Only One

by Chookers38



Series: Hook's Coven Adventures [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Don't copy to another site, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, killian jones whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:53:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 35,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22294366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chookers38/pseuds/Chookers38
Summary: Once again trouble fall upon the peaceful coven, spreading its darkness on each Hook. Only this time only one will remain and with the help of the Savior, will decide the fate of the rest of their secret family...
Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan
Series: Hook's Coven Adventures [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1283408
Comments: 14
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go for another whump round! Because yeah you guess it, Killian Jones is a human magnet for trouble...But he won’t be alone this time as Emma (along some David bros moment) take a bigger place in this adventure! 
> 
> The chapters will grow longer by the time even if I tried to keep it the same size but you know, some cuts are better here than there. I’ll try to post once or twice a week depending on how “cliffhanger” the end is or how long it is.
> 
> As for the warnings,i’m very bad at them so I’ll just say that our pirate is gonna hurt himself a bit but not much description, a bit of blood here and there, a lot of tears, screams? (and did i forgot to mention hospital? I know some will be happy :p). And I think that’s the big stuff...if any question just come ask me on tumblr(cocohook38) or leave a comments here :)
> 
> Without waiting more, enjoy that little opening and I guess 1st cliff ! :D

They were running out of time.

It didn't matter how much the branches were whipping their limbs and faces as they ran through the dense forest. How much their legs were screaming to stop for a moment. They were almost safe inside the Coven and the rest didn't matter.

“Come on! The entrance is right there, mates! “ yelled DarkHook at the rest of the group.

But the last two miles were looking impossibly far for most of the Hooks. Either too old or too young to run that fast that long. The lad stumbled and Jones had to stop dead in his tracks, hurling himself backwards in order to grab the boy and catch up with the others with the new weight added in his arms.

Only one half-mile left. Just one last effort before they could catch their breath and let their bodies rest without worrying about their life. One more little second and everything went black.

\-----

When Jones opened his eyes with difficulty, the room in front of him was spinning. It was impossible to determine which way was up. Until someone came closer, firmly grabbing his chin.

“Look at who’s awake?? How was the little nap, Captain?” the man mocked, playfully slapping his cheek before leaving his prisoner.

After being roused, Killian lifted his head again, trying to figure out where he was. It seemed he was being held up by his arms with old chains, the cold cuffs not yet cutting deeply into his skin, though it seemed that they’d left his brace and hook attached. He was in the center of what look like a huge cave, no way of escaping at first sight. His mind suddenly snapped back to the past. They were running. He and the eight other Hooks. And he still hadn’t seen any of them around him. Were they safe inside the coven? Or did the guys capture them as well? There was also a chance that Tiny Hook and KillyCat had escaped or gone unnoticed thanks to their small size.

“...You sure he will make it? He’s definitely not the strongest of them,” a feminine voice echoed.

Well, that “them” could be the rest of the Hooks, Jones thought. _Damn it_.

“Oh don’t worry. He’s the perfect host for our...test. It’s not because your favorite has magic that it will allow him to survive…”

 _Bloody Hell_. Where did they end up this time? His head was pulsing and Killian couldn’t align more than one thought after the other. First, he needed to find a way to escape this cave and make sure the others would be safe too.

“Five! Go fetch the others. It’s time.”

A violent shiver shook Killian. This was bad. And he couldn’t do anything in his current position. A minute later, the “five” guy came back from the shadows--where there surely was a passage, Killian realized--dragging a group of six behind him. All were wearing bags over their heads, most of their clothes had been taken off but for once, Killian’s brain functioned and he knew it was his friends.

Runes suddenly began to shine under him while Killian had been distracted by the entrance of his fellow mates. Killian desperately thrashed against his restraints, knowing without a doubt that it couldn’t be anything good, but he was just wasting precious quantities of energy. Similar runes began to glow a few meters in front of him, where one of the Hooks had been positioned. They’d left the hood on his head, though. There was a high chance it was DarkHook, but Killian couldn't be certain. His whole body shook in anticipation of what was about to come.

“Alright! Let’s see how much our human receptacle can take…”

Jones did not have time to think about what all of this meant before a flash of light blinded him, forcing him to turn his gaze away, missing the coming attack of which he was the target. The second the light beam hit his chest, his world crumbled around and within him, leaving Killian in an interminable world of pain, his whole body burning as his ears were filled by screams.

The last thing Killian remembered before he completely blacked out was the light fading around him as all his comrades had disappeared, the bloodied bags discarded on the stone floor.

\----

“What’s his status?”

“The subject is unconscious, but all its stats are stable, sir. Data collected at 100%: Subject One has integrated Subjects 2 to 6. Subject 7 seems to have changed Subject One’s capacity.”

“Perfect. This couldn’t have turned out better...”

“Results are all positive. I initialise the transfer to the GHQ.“

“What should we do with that one, sir?”

“Take the chains down. He’s no use to us anymore. You can leave him here, there’s little chance he’ll cause us trouble in his state, anyway”

“Copy.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so here we go for a more suitable length ;) Know that the whole story is complete so even if there’s an unreasonable amount of cliffhanger, the next chapter will always follow soon...  
> Posting that should be twice per week if everything goes smooth.
> 
> also I’m super glad and I thank you for each kudos and feedback you give ♥ even if I don’t answer them privately,they're all dear to my heart ♥.And I’m just as excited as you to post the next chapter! :D

Emma was sure something bad had happened to him again.

It had been more than a day since Killian had left the house and he wasn’t back, leaving her with nothing from him. No phone call, no text message, no information. Simply _nothing_.

At this point, she just hoped he was still in the United Realms so magic could be useful to find him...

For once, her wish was granted and, with the help of the good old locator spell poured on one of his leather jackets, David and Emma were now standing in front of an entrance, where strange yet decorative patterns were carved into the black rock. They stayed in front of that door for a moment, trying to sense any danger with Emma’s magic. But as soon as they heard a scream and had exchanged a rapid look, Emma ran inside as fast as possible, not bothering to finish checking for possible traps, while her father screamed after her; good thing she had magic to defend herself in case there were traps in her way. She did not wait to see if David was following her; the screams had stopped and the butterflies in her belly weren’t helping her to wait one more second.

The winding trail led to a wide space, stopping Emma dead in her tracks, her panting respirations echoing around her. The cave was pitch black, but she knew he was there; she could feel it. Conjuring a light ball, she took a look at the place: a huge cavity, almost empty. There was the rest of the electronic stuff that had been present inside the basement in some corners, weird runes carved on the floor, a pile of bags, and wait, was that blood she smelled? Then she spotted him, his back facing her as his body was spread on the floor next to a wall.

Wasting no time, Emma ran. She ran straight to him, his name stuck in her throat when she tried to call for him because of her growing anguish. She threw herself on her knees, grabbing him by the shoulder and hip, quickly turning his body until he was facing her.

His state stole her breath away: eyes wide open with red rims under, strands of hair falling over them, vestiges of tears on his cheeks. And in addition to his physical pain, he was whimpering between each gulp of air. Mumbling nonsense from time to time due to a recent anxiety attack.

Shocked, Emma might have stared at his face for too long before doing anything. Shaking her head, she brought back some focus on the moment but her mind was immediately overwhelmed by dozens of questions.

Why was her pirate in this state; what had happened? How long had he been on the floor? Like _that_? Who did this to him? _How was she going to deal with it?_

 _They were going to make it, just like every time. Together, as one_. Emma thought, eyes closed, taking a deep and steady breath.

She was the savior, she was his wife. She was going to find a solution and save him from his pain. Taking another deep breath, she opened her eyes and looked at him with new resolution. She could do this, Emma promised herself in an attempt to boost her own confidence. Tentatively brushing her fingers over his cheek, she smiled at him, trying to catch his attention through his panic.

“Hey, Killian, it’s me. It’s Emma. I’m here, I found you. You’re going to be alright, okay? I’m going to fix whatever happened to you, ‘kay babe?” she whispered, now gently stroking his cheek.

He did look in her direction from time to time while she spoke. But now that she was done, he seemed to be back in the present and realized where he was while a wave of fresh panic settled over him. Shivering hard, Killian’s gaze became even more unstable, focusing for a few seconds on her face before looking in the opposite direction. Tears started to fall on his skin. And all Emma could do was put her hand on his shoulder, caressing his arm and making sure he did not bite his trembling lips accidentally.

“It’s okay, Killian, just breathe. Take deep breaths, Killian. You’ll--Killian?” Emma stopped in the middle of her sentence as he was staring at her. Did she say something to trigger a memory?

“Killian, what is it? Killian? Hey, Killian, talk to me.”

“N-not me,” he stammered, frowning. “N-not me! Not alone. Not me!” he quickly added, his whole body beginning to shake.

_His name definitely triggers something. But what?_

“Babe. What do you mean? I, I need you to help me, Killia-”

“Not me! Too much. To-too much screams. Not me-not alone-not me-it’s too much-too much!” Killian gasped.

His voice was falling apart as he talked. The more he repeated what sounded like a scheme, the more he was shaking his head, closing his eyes as if he were fighting to get out of a nightmare, leaving Emma alone to find a solution to the panic attack she had caused.

“I- you’re okay! It’s, it’s just you and I. Ki-. Babe, it’s alright; you need to calm down!” Emma quickly answered, trying to maintain a low volume to her voice, but it was doing no good; if anything, it was making the situation even more tense.

“Nnnhg! There’s TOO MUCH! TOO MUCH SCREAMS!!”

This time Killian was screaming himself. And it scared the hell out of Emma. She jumped up, taken by surprise by the violence of his reaction, her body ready to flee. All the suffering in his broken voice...

In her shock, she did what she used to do best: Emma ran. She ran far from the man who was her husband, her _True Love_. But at the moment she couldn’t recognize him anymore. She just couldn’t. So she ran outside the cave until she found David, who was still watching for threats coming from the outside but had been staring at the carved entrance after hearing new screams. She crashed into his arms, shaking like a leaf.

“E-Emma?! You’re okay? What happened? Did you find Killian? Who screamed?” asked David, scared by the behavior of his daughter. He almost never saw her in such a panicked state.

“I- I can’t, Dad. I can’t do it. I...” She held tight to his jacket, trying to calm her erratic heart and clear her mind of the horrible images. “I can’t, _see_ him. Th-they did something to Killian and I just, I just-”

“Hey, hey! It’s okay, Emma! Take a deep breath, alright? Whatever is happening, it’s gonna be okay,” he hastily answered as he hugged her tighter, his right hand cupping the back of her head while his own brain tried to understand what was happening.

“No it’s not, David! He’s...He’s in so much pain and I, I just couldn’t do anything! I was scared! He scared me, Dad! How can _this_ be alright?”

Emma was looking right in his eyes, tears ready to fall. Of course it wasn’t okay. They both knew it. David took a moment to let her breathe before cupping her face with both hands.

“It’s going to be alright because that’s what we do. We fight back and we fix our problems. Plus, he’s your True Love. I know you’ll find a way to save him. And we will be there to help you,” he reassured her.

Or at least he hoped it would. Hoped it would be enough to give her the courage she needed when Killian wasn’t there to support her. He hadn’t seen his son-in-law’s state himself, but they would set things right no matter how hard it might be. They _had_ to.

Emma let herself be comforted in her father’s arms until she felt confident enough to think of Killian again. He needed help. She had saved him from Hades himself. She’d be damned if she was going to let him perish now.

“Ok. I’m ready,” she declared, sniffing back her fears.

“Good. Considering how you described the scene to me, I think it might be a good idea to call the medics. I’ll do that and you go back to him. I’ll be right behind you. Or, well, you can wait here first if you prefer, I understand if-”

“No, it’s okay,” she cut in. “ I, I need to do this. I’ll light the path with my magic for you.” She nodded, giving her father a smile before walking back into the cave. She was still anxious to return down there on her own but she couldn’t leave Killian alone any longer.

“Be safe, Emma! And keep your radio close by!” he shot after her while reaching for his mobile phone.

When Emma was back near Killian again, he was still in the panicked state she had left him, minus the screams. He did not move until she had knelt beside him. His hand went to his head as he rambled once more about not being alone. Emma bit her lip and reached for his shoulder, but he flinched away, shaking his head.

“Not you! Not you...not me-not alone.” Pleading, he reached for his knees to protect himself from her presence.

“Okay. I, I’ll stay here, okay babe?” she croaked, her voice reflecting her broken heart.

He stayed still, his face buried between his knees, slowly looking up at her before letting go of his legs releasing some of the tension from his previous posture and resuming his shivers. He was refusing her presence and it killed her. It affected her so much that she couldn’t fight the need to touch him nonetheless, to make sure he was there somehow, to reassure her heart. So when he closed his eyes, as quietly as possible, she came to sit closer and lightly rested her hand on his thigh, slowly breathing out when he didn’t move.

Killian snapped his eyes open a second later, staring at her while his knuckles went white from clutching his arm. Emma froze, not daring to move in fear of triggering him more. But inevitably, she had to when David came closer and Killian went back into a frantic state. His whimpers filled the cave, and when David tried to talk to him, he suddenly began to cry, trying to cover his head and ears with his arms.

“Emma, sweetheart. Give him space, now,” ordered David gently. He took Emma in his arms and headed toward the exit without waiting for her to move.

“What? No! We, we can’t just leave him here!” she argued, trying to escape his grip, but she was emotionally drained and hadn’t much energy left to struggle against her father.

“I’m not saying that, Emma,” corrected David immediately. “But look at him: he’s clearly panicked by our presence. The medics will be here soon, so let’s just walk away a bit so he can calm down, alright?“

“O-okay, Dad.”

“But we’re not leaving him alone; don’t worry.”

David’s theory proved itself to be true as Killian began to slowly calm down as soon as they were standing at the opposite end of the room. The downside was that they couldn't see him clearly, but the only sound coming from him was his rough breathing and occasional sniffing.


	3. Chapter 3

Finally the medics were waiting outside in the forest for direction, giving David not much choice other than to leave Emma inside in order to bring them back to the cave. 

Being alone again, Emma stubbornly tried to get closer to Killian, telling herself it was just to make sure he was okay and perhaps even try to tell him people were coming to help him, all without disturbing his almost-serene condition. And perhaps it was just her being selfish and needing his presence close to her now that she had managed to control her mind around his impressive--no. _Shocking_ reaction to people around him.

Seeing him sobbing and sucking his thumb like a child was a whole new shock, though. She first frowned in surprise before looking at him with a soft smile on her lips, hoping her presence would have a positive impact for once. He crossed her gaze and fresh tears flowed down his cheeks as he hugged himself, hiding his face back between his knees. Between broken sobs, he started asking for his dad and Emma looked in the direction of the entrance: no one was here yet and her father hadn’t called her. She could probably try to comfort him even if it led to a mood change. 

“Shhh, it’s okay. Killian; everything is okay. Shhhh. He... he’s going to come, okay?” she murmured, gently stroking his head.

It was a lie. An awful one. But it seemed to calm him down. _For now,_ Emma thought.

She didn’t know how long until he would ask for his deceased father again, or worse, his mother, and she’d have to answer with another lie to appease his mind. A mind that apparently changed once again as Killian choked a few times before the whimpers and growlings were back, shivers wracking his body. 

This time, Emma stepped aside, though she first made sure he wouldn’t hurt himself with his hook while leaving him enough space for himself. Her radio crackled, catching her full attention. She was sure she heard voices over the buzzing noise but nothing was clear. The moment she could have caught something, Killian’s broken voice was back for a short amount of time, and Emma dropped the radio to look at him when his voice stopped. His eyes were closed but his mouth was open to its maximum, jaw working hard while no sounds came out of his throat. Yet he was clearly screaming out his pain. Emma grabbed his hand that was scratching the floor helplessly and stroked his knuckles until he was done, his back coming to rest against the cold rock floor. The room fell silent; the only movement was Killian’s chest coming up and down with eachwheeze.

“God...I’m so sorry, Killian...so sorry,” Emma whispered, letting her head fall onto his arm. “If only I had looked for you sooner, you wouldn't be here and none of this would have happened...I’m so goddamn sorry, Killian…” 

She’d been a fool to think he would be okay wandering alone in those woods in the first place. She’d had a bad feeling about it when he had told her he was going out for a few days, hiking with some friends of Rogers, but she had let him go anyway. And she did nothing when he’d failed to text her the first night. She hated herself so much. It was only the fact that he was alive under her and would soon be transported to the hospital that was stopping her from crying.

“S-swan…”

Emma jumped at her name. Did he just? It would be the very first time since she found him that he’d said something coherent. Her eyes shone with happy tears as she looked at him, his blue eyes finally looking _at_ her.

“S-swan...I…” he gasped, his hand searching for hers.

“Take your time, babe, take your time! I’m here, I’m here for you. Just take your time,” she pressed. It hurt, seeing how hard it was for him to form a single word, his voice coarse. His voice. _Of course!_ Emma poked her forehead. He had been screaming for who-knew-how-long! She quickly conjured a bottle of water.

“Raah. You must be so thirsty! I’m such an idiot!” She cursed. “Do you want water, Killian?”

He frowned before swallowing. He then tried to hold up his head while nodding at her proposition.

“Wa...water...please..” he murmured.

With a bright smile, Emma moved behind him.

“Okay, let’s get you up a bit first, mmh? I’m going to lift up your chest, okay?”

Once his back was stable against the wall behind him, she lifted the flask to his lips. His body was shaking with anticipation, his hand trying to reach the flask to speed up her action, but Emma took it away the moment he touched her hand, a soft gasp falling from his lips.

“Ah-ah-ah! You better take it easy there, Captain,” she teased him, slowly approaching the flask when his hand dropped onto his lap.

“Wa, water….t-thirsty...Swan,” he pleaded.

“Yeah, I know, I know. Just take small mouthfuls, one after another, alright?” She waited for his answer to be sure he wouldn’t aggravate his pain by drinking the fresh water too fast.

“P-promise,” he stammered, then opened his mouth so she could set the opening of the flask on his lips.

Surprisingly, Killian did manage to keep sort of medium swallows. A bit rapidly for Emma’s taste, but he did not choke himself while doing so. The flask was refilled and Killian’s thirst quenched. With a contented sigh, he let himself relax against the cold wall, resting his head against Emma’s shoulder. She didn’t move, savouring the small victory. The hardest was still to come. 

Opening her eyes, though she didn’t remember closing them, Emma weighed up the possibilities of how to announce what came next to Killian, who was half-sleeping against her side. Her inner debate was cut short by David’s voice.

“ _Emma?... Emma, do you hear me?_ ”

“Yeah, I got you, Dad!”

“ _Good...The medics are with me...we had some troubles bringing all of their equipment through the vegetation...everything’s alright down there?_ ”

“Affirmative. Killian was even back to himself since you left!” Emma added, a smile on her lips while she looked at her husband snoring.

“ _That’s good to hear!...We’ll be down there in five minutes._ ”

“Copy! Be safe, Dad.”

The line went dead and Emma cut the sound, preparing to softly wake Killian. She needed to tell him people were coming now. With his mind stable once again, everything should go smoothly. _Only it was going to be another failure…_

“Killian? Hey, sorry to wake you up, but I need to warn you, people are coming down here, okay?”

Killian’s face showed concern as he looked at her. Emma took his hand in hers, smiling at him.

“It’s alright. No need to be frightened, okay Killian? They’re here to help. David is with them!” She hoped desperately that he would understand.

But Killian only frowned deeper, attempting to understand what she was trying to say to him. _Who were those people, exactly? Who was...David?_

“They’ll be here in five!” she said, almost with excitement.

But Killian went white the moment Emma finished her sentence. The small amount of consciousness shattered inside his head, giving way to the previous harsh jumble of pleading voices. Rapidly, his body began shaking from head to toe. 

Too late, Emma realized her mistake. “No…”

“Get them out...get them out, please! I...I can’t-get them out!” Killian’s gaze was fixed in front of him as he pleaded, but Emma saw he was miles away.

“Need to get them out! Safe-safe-safe! Too much-Too much!”

“Killian, I-”

“Too MUCH! Can’t get them out! CAN’T! TOO MUCH!” yelled Killian, starting to rock himself.

Emma was about to grab his arm, but even though she remembered how it ended last time with David, she couldn’t just give him space when he was rocking himself dangerously close to the wall. She had to protect him from injuring himself. Cursing, Emma grabbed his upper arm as fast as she could, but his muscles were too tense and it was impossible to pull him away just like that. Sparkles flew between them and Emma shivered at the idea of her magic going wild because of her emotions. Killian didn’t give her much time to worry about that point as he was now grabbing his head with his hand and hook, already scratching his left temple with the tip of his appendage.

“No no no! Killian, come on! Let me help!” she ordered, trying to speak over his voice. 

But the more she tugged his left arm away from his temple, the more violent he became, adding more damage to his face, and she could feel the magic building between them. Emma tried one last time to protect him from the silver hook, but his powerful scream paralysed her, and a second later, she was knocked back by a magical blow coming from Killian. Her vision faded and she lost her grasp on reality, her ears filled with Killian’s pleas, the image of him violently rocking back and forth against the wall as if it would quiet his problems etched into her memories.

\---

_She’s breathing._

_No, I’m good! Take care of him._

_Emma? Emma, open your eyes!_

_We’re going to need Dr. Whale._

_Sweetheart, come on. You’ve got to help me._

_He’s got to be...!_

_EMMA!_

Slowly, Emma came back to herself. The cave was too quiet even with her ears buzzing. But then she felt herself being lifted by strong hands, then a pair of arms around her. It was David, shaking her body for the tenth time in the last few minutes, pleading,

“Emma? Emma, come on, say something!” 

“Mmmh...David?” she croaked.

“Oh, thank God! We’ve got to move, darling.”

“Wh-what? Dad, what’s happen-Killian! Where’s Killian, Dad?!” Emma finally completely opened her eyes, searching for his body around her, but she couldn’t see him.

“It’s okay, Emma! It’s okay.”

Emma frowned at her father’s voice. Something was wrong. Why couldn't she see Killian? Why wasn’t her father telling her where he was? His voice was full of worry, but she was alright, wasn’t she? She just fell a bit too hard on her head, it was nothing. She was trying to protect Killian from...and suddenly it clicked: David wasn’t worried about her. 

While Emma pieced the situation together, the paramedics that were fussing beside them finally started to move aside, out of the way of her view.

But Emma wished she had not seen the scene in front of her.

Killian was lying on the floor, having a seizure. His body was lying in recovery position while two medics tried to fix a mask over his white face. Then she spotted the blood. So much blood around him, against the wall behind the group, under his head. The deep red, almost black pool staining the side of his face that was directly against the floor, contrasting with the pallor of his skin and the dull grey of his eyes.

Then someone screamed. 

And perhaps she realized it was her own voice...


	4. Chapter 4

Everything is pitch black. And cold. A cold that paralyses him, filling his bones with deadly ice. He can’t move and yet he knows, he feels his body being wracked by shivers. How he’s still in one piece after all this time is still surprising to him. Killian is alone and it kills him, even with as much as his ears enjoy the silence. He’s alone and lost inside his mind with no way out.

Then a flash of red, a golden spark, a laugh. His eyes are open wide and he finds the strength to break through his stupor. She’s here. Emma is with him. Somehow.

She’s just a few meters ahead, her smile lighting her angel face, her green eyes piercing the dark space around them. Killian has never run as fast as he is now, feeling free just by seeing her next to him. He’s so close, just a few more steps. He’s trembling, but it’s because he feels alive in the moment, not because of the fear and the cold. His heart is beating too much against his rib cage and he couldn’t care less. He just wants to hold her, let her warm light heat his sore body and soul. She smiles at him and he laughs. He laughs and he reaches for her, only to be roughly thrown backward by an invisible wall.

Killian shakes his head, his raging breath echoing around him.

“Bloody Hell! What was that?” he curses, looking for what had stopped him in his momentum.

That’s when he realizes Emma isn’t near him anymore. That she’s looking away as if he wasn’t even there.

“ _Killian? Killian!_ ” her voice yells into the empty space.

Jumping to his feet, Killian runs in her direction, this time just bumping against the magical barrier.

“Swan! I’m over here, love!” he screams for her, but she isn’t hearing him.

“Emma!!”

Her silhouette flickers and his heart misses a beat.

“No no no no!! EMMA!” he screams at the top of his lungs.

_Killian? Killian, where are you?_

His fist pounding on the invisible wall. His hook soon joining.

“SWAAAAAAAN!” he cries out in despair.

Her body starts to fade and he can feel the change in himself as well, the cold clawing at his back. But he doesn’t want to fall back to the icy, empty space. He can't let it happen like that. Raging, he keeps hitting the invisible force stopping him from walking ahead to her, while his breath becomes more erratic with each strike. His fist is wet with his blood but Emma isn’t coming back and he just keeps hitting again and again.

Until he feels strong hands on his joints. It could well be things other than hands, hooks or any other thing; Killian wouldn't have known the difference. It was cold and it was paralyzing him, pulling him backward against the dark wall where he first was trapped. Killian fights as long he can, trying to push back the thousand hands covering more and more parts of his body. But never do his eyes leave his beautiful Swan. Then a hand comes right in front of his face, and it takes him a colossal effort to tear his right arm free from the icy grasp and clear his vision. However, his effort proves to be futile, and with one last scream of her name, Killian feels the too many cold touches clouding his vision, dragging him back into the darkness while his hand tries to reach Emma until the very last second.

Everything goes black and Killian is lost once again to the death-like darkness…

\----

The room was still plunged in silence in the early morning hours, the white walls filling the room with cold and emptiness. Lying still on the only bed was Killian. His body seemed so small and fragile under the heavy blue blanket of the hospital. His pale and exhausted face not helping to give him the impression of life. If not for the constant beeping from the two machines keeping track of his heartbeat and brain activity, he could have been mistaken for a dead body.

They had put some bandages around his head to protect the fresh stitches from the late-night intervention of two days ago. Whale had made quick work of the injury to the back of his skull, and thankfully, the pirate did not lose as much blood as it first seemed (“ _Head injuries have the tendency to bleed a lot without it being too dramatic, Miss Swan. So please let me finish my job in peace,_ ” Victor had snapped at Emma, who had been a bit too insistent about her husband’s condition for his taste). They’d had a hard time handling his unstable state of mind, on the other hand. The sedative they gave him had settled him down for a better recovery, but it was starting to wear off, and when Emma exited the small bathroom of the room, Killian moaned, his eyes moving under his heavy eyelids. Slowly, he blinked them open, clearly not fully awake yet. Emma sat on the chair next to his bed, hesitantly reaching for his hand. She tilted her head, smiling at him when his gaze seemed to focus on her.

“Hey there. How do you feel, babe?” she purred, a gentle smile on her face, though her eyes were still worried.

He didn’t answer right away, staring at her before a silly grin broke on his lips. Emma couldn’t suppress her giggle as she looked at him. Even if she was pretty concerned by his mental state now that the physical side was stable, he was looking hella adorable smiling like that at her. She got her answer, though; he was still fairly heavily under the influence of the drug. Which, in a way, wasn’t that bad a thing. She shook her head in amusement before brushing off a few strands of hair that were falling in his eyes. He closed his eyes at her ministrations, releasing a soft moan of pleasure. Emma had to bite her lips, forcing herself not to relax too much as he was only relaxed because of the sedative running through his veins. Suddenly, he frowned and Emma held her breath, waiting for what was going to happen next. They weren’t alone in the cave anymore, but she was still scared of the possibility of a bad reaction. With all the grace he could have lying in the bed, Killian sneezed, then looked as surprised as a newborn.

“Bless you!” Emma laughed, and this time she couldn’t stop the warm feeling inside her body, relaxing a bit as he tried to wet his mouth, his silly smile still in place, before yawning and then falling back asleep, leaving her smiling at his peaceful face.

She knew those good times were going to end at some point or another. But she still wasn’t ready when the nightmare started all over again.

One moment he was sleeping like a baby, the next his face was contorted, his breathing quickening as broken sobs escaped his lips. She rested her hand on his right arm, calming him a bit, but it didn’t work for long. Soon enough, he was back with the pleading rambling while his eyes were squeezed tight. She tried to talk to him, comfort him. She tried everything she could to appease his mind, but nothing was working, and five minutes later, his eyes opened, freeing fresh tears. He tried to get out whatever voices were inside his head, knocking his skull backward.

Thank God the huge pillow was absorbing each blow, but the second Killian wailed about not being alone, Emma didn’t wait anymore and hit the emergency button.

Nurses invaded the room, pushing Emma aside as two interns tried to immobilize Killian, who was thrashing against their grasp while two other nurses were preparing another dose of sedative to administer through his IV line.

The tedious operation done, the two men slowly released their grasp on Killian, who was rapidly losing strength as well as consciousness. Emma snuck back next to him. Killian spotted her out of the corner of his eye before turning his face to look at her with a mix of pain and pleading.

“Emma...pleaaase…” he whimpered. But she shook her head, biting her lips as tears fell on her cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Killian. But I can’t let you hurt yourself anymore,” she said, her voice almost a whisper.

“Please...Don’t...don’t let them take away…” he mumbled as his eyes finally fell closed.

“I’m so sorry. I’ll find a cure, I promise, Killian. I’ll find a way back to you.” Emma swore, and as she kissed the back of his hand, the sedative took full effect.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are still complicated with our pirate not being truly himself and Emma trying to reach him. But the question is how long can she truly handle it?

Killian resurfaced later in the beginning of the afternoon, his state slightly better than when Emma had had to hit the emergency button. He wasn’t in a frantic mindset yet, but the good old mumbling was firmly present. Emma hovered over the red button for a second, looking at the monitor following his brain activity. Even if she hadn't studied biology, by observation and with Victor's comments on it, she could tell it wasn’t that high in activity yet; perhaps she could try to talk to him before it all went into panic mode.

“Killian? Babe, can you focus on my voice?” Emma asked, taking his hand in hers.

She gently squeezed it so he knew she was talking to him. He frowned deeply before taking a shuddering breath and turning his face in the direction of her voice, though his eyes remained closed. 

His hand shook under hers. “Not alone...not alone...not me-no!” 

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I can help, alright? Just, just focus on my voice.”

“Nghh...Swan...can’t-not alone. Not me!”

“I know, I know. Just listen to me. Focus on my voice, okay?” Perhaps if she tried talking to him as if he wasn’t her Killian only, playing his game, perhaps he would listen to her. And not mentioning certain people might be a good start too. “I talked to...someone. And we concluded that I might be able to help you with the voices.” 

“Not alone! Can’t help them! Too much-t-too much inside!” he stammered, his eyes now open and looking in her direction.

Emma took a deep breath and checked the monitor. He wasn’t stable and the line did increase a few times, but so far, her try had calmed his brain activity. And the fact that Killian was starting to make more sense in his statements was a good thing. Remembering her conversation with Regina, Emma knew she might be the only way to help her true love out of this mess. She just needed to keep him talking and try her magic on him when the time would be right.

“You’re not alone, right? I...I can help you, Killian. I can help free them,” she tried, wanting to see how he would react to the idea. 

“C-can’t! Can’t free them! There’s too much! Too much screams, too much!” His voice was getting louder, his heartbeat speeding up and the brain activity high and irregular. 

“Okay babe! Okay! I hear you, I hear you,” she soothed him. Time was slipping through her fingers.

“Nooo! Can’t. CAN’T! Too much! It’s too MUCH!!” he screamed, sitting upright, tugging free his hand from hers and clutching his hair with it, tearing off a few electrodes at the same time.

All the machines went on alarm, the strident beeping echoing inside the room. His heartbeat kept increasing the longer he was harming himself, grunting, in the hopes of freeing the pain inside his head. The line from the brain monitor went crazy, and once again, nurses rushed into the room. Except this time, Emma was shoved out, the door closing on her stunned face. 

The whole situation had turned upside down in a heartbeat and Emma couldn’t process where she was standing yet, staring in front of her while the dull sound of Killian’s yells were coming through the door, reaching her ears.

She then blinked several times, her thoughts rushing back to the present moment. She gasped before all her energy snapped out of her body and her knees buckled under her weight. 

Once lying on the floor, emotions crashed inside her and she broke down, alone in the hallway.

\------

Cordoning off Jones’ state had become more and more complicated for Whale. 

They don’t even know the cause of the increasing brain pain in the first place. Or, at least, Whale knew it wasn’t a “natural” one. Magic was probably behind everything, _for a change,_ huffed the doctor. Every time a hero landed in one of his rooms there was a 90% chance that magic was involved in some way or another. And that was the main reason, if not the only one, Victor was letting the sheriff Swan stay inside Jones’s room so often. If it was just his decision, she would have been banned from Killian’s chamber until he was stable.

Thus, he was taking the risk to let her deal with the problem for now. But after how they’d picked him up today, Whale might be forced to rethink his tactic a bit if he wanted to keep the pirate alive with a good brain condition. Because each new outbreak was altering his mental condition. And Whale was sure the “hero team” wouldn’t want to take a pirate home in a vegetative state…

Securing the electrodes one last time, Victor noted down a few words and data on the board attached to the end of Jones’s bed. Taking one last look at the man, the doctor exited his patient’s room, readying himself for a long and deserved break at home before his night shift. 

However, his plan died when he opened the door and almost stumbled across a body: Emma was lying on the floor. Probably after passing out from exhaustion, Victor concluded after a quick checkup on her. Calling for nurses, he instructed them to put the woman into the room beside Jones’s with the interdiction for her to leave her bed until she was completely rested. 

A few hours later, Emma woke up disoriented with a terrible headache. She quickly realized she was on a bed inside a tiny room looking more like a storeroom than a proper hospital chamber. Looking around her, she spotted a paper on the small bedside table. After reading the note, she shook her head before swallowing down the pills, then heading for the door. Said door was locked, and she scoffed. Did they really believe she was going to wait and let them lock her up like that? Fuming, she searched inside her pockets for her phone and dialed Storybrook Hospital’s number. A tune played, asking what she needed. Emma didn’t wait for the recording to play completely and hit key #3, waiting for someone to answer her.

Minutes later, someone finally deigned to pick up her call.

“Storybrooke General Hospital, how can I-”

“Give me Whale now,” Emma cut in, not caring how rude she might sound to the poor receptionist.

“I-I‘m sorry, Miss, but I can’t just transfer you to Dr Whale; he-”

“It’s Sheriff Swan. I’m locked in one of your damn rooms. Do whatever you need, but I want to talk to him. _Now_.” 

“I-I’ll see what I can do...just, just hold the line please, miss…” the young woman mumbled.

“Thank you...” Emma added more gently, feeling a bit like a fool for taking all her anger out on the woman who was only trying to do her job.

She felt like half an hour had passed with the bloody waiting tune before, finally, the woman was back, giving her a positive answer. A minute more and Emma would have hung up, not bearing the song and interminable waiting. 

“Dr. Whale speaking. What can I do for you, Sheriff?” Whale asked, relaxed. 

_As if you didn’t know, dumbass._.. cursed Emma in her mind.

“Oh, I don’t know. Perhaps that you come here and unlock the damn door before I break it!” spat Emma, her hand trembling. 

“No need to be rude, here! I’m just making sure you won’t pass out on my floor again!” chuckled Whale.

“Oh yeah, laugh it up! You’ll see who will be lying on the floor once I show you how pissed off I am! Open.The.Fucking.Door.Now. _Frankenstein._ ”

There was a beat before the man audibly sighed on the other end of the phone. Emma bit her tongue. He’d better agree with her, or she swore she was going to murder him.

“Alright. Coming…” Then he hung up.

In a swift move, Emma threw her phone against the wall behind her in anger. The bastard had some good goddamn nerve. But all the anger that might have come out of her mouth died as a scream echoed from the room beside her. Emma opened her eyes wide, facing the wall, holding her breath. She was so focused on the scream that she missed the small beep from the electronic lock opening itself. She jumped at the newcomer. Slowly, Dr. Whale walked in, taking a surprised look at the broken phone discarded on the floor before feeling himself being lifted and pinned against the nearest wall.

“I swear, Victor, I’m going to punch you in your pretty face if you don’t give me one fucking reason not to,” spat Emma between clenched jaws, her knuckles white around the man’s white collar.

“Very well! Since you’re asking so nicely…” Victor winced as Emma pushed him more forcefully against the hard surface. “Alright! You were put here so you could rest. But that, I suppose, you already know. Now, the other reason why I suggest you put me down and finish resting on that damn bed, is that your husband is almost at the edge of a cliff. If he is brought a bit closer to falling, there is a high chance he’ll lose all his mental capacities with no way back. So I suggest you sleep, revise your magical tricks, and the next time you’re allowed in his room, it’ll be to bloody heal him instead of making his state even worse.” 

Emma froze at the statement. It couldn’t be possible. Killian couldn’t be dying _that_ soon. Worse, he couldn’t be dying because of her, could he? But it was all her fault. She screwed things up by trying to reach him, and now, if she wasn’t good enough, he would die. Or rather, his brain would. But what is the point of living if you don’t even realize it? Slowly, her hands let go of Whale, who spruced his blouse up before nodding at her. Emma responded, and when she was truly alone, she let her tears flow down her cheeks. 

_Fuck_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoping you all enjoy the emotional rollercoaster and still hang on!


	6. Chapter 6

Everyone had been trying to reach her for the rest of the day, but they didn’t know her phone was still scattered on the floor while she was sitting on the bed, her leg folded against her as she hugged herself. Every now and then, she could hear Killian’s voice, and each time she thought back to what Whale had told her and she cursed herself more than the crazy bitches that had first harmed Killian.

When David entered her room followed by Whale, she didn't bother to move, closing her eyes and curling up on herself a bit more. Whale whispered some words to David before leaving them alone.

They stayed still until David heard for the first time the sound of his mate’s piercing voice. A shiver ran down his spine looking at his little princess, who was shivering as well. Taking a deep breath, David walked closer and slowly rested an arm around Emma’s shoulder, staying like that until she allowed him to fully embrace her in his strong arms and hold her tight while her own love couldn’t.

Later, both of them were lying on the bed, David resting higher than her so she could use him as some sort of pillow while he was stroking her arm and head. By the time Emma found her way to sleep, David was still awake, making sure she was okay. But what really stopped him from drifting off was the thought of all that pain, how hard it was for her to continue and fight. From what she had decided to share with him earlier, she clearly hated herself for what was happening in the room next to theirs. But it wasn’t her fault; David refused to let her believe so. Killian’s condition wasn’t because of them...or was it? Perhaps they were all guilty. Each yelp or pleading making its way to the small room only stabbed David’s guilt harder. If he had been with them sooner, if he had stayed with his daughter all along, if he had done _anything_...If his best friend was dying next time?

All those “ _ifs_ ” fuelling the fire, the pain, the burden on their shoulders, the stab in their hearts and guilt.

Thus, hearing his son-in-law pleading in agony was dreadful. David didn't even know how Emma had made it so far, knowing she was all on her own during those terrible hours. He had only been inside her room since the evening and he was sure he would have nightmares plaguing his nights for the rest of the week, if not month.

Being thoughtful, David had brought a pair of earplugs in case they were needed and was going to use them until he realized his daughter, who was still shaking in his arms, needed them more than him if she was supposed to be well-rested by the morning to save her husband. So he delicately put them inside her ears, relieved to see the tremors begin to leave her in peace.

Between each moment of silence he was granted, David had been dozing, but he never fully closed his eyes and his old body started to grumble at the thin mattress and with every little movement he was making. When Emma stirred awake, he let out a deep sigh, the idea of finally going to bed invading his mind. Emma slowly rose, rubbing her eyes. For a few minutes she looked blissfully innocent of the present, her brain not remembering all the awful things that had happened. David gave her a warm smile before hugging her, to her surprise. Of course, the pirate chose that moment to use his raspy voice and David couldn’t suppress his reflex. He quickly covered Emma’s ears, even though there was a chance she wouldn’t hear him with the earplugs anyway. She shook her head, trying to escape his embrace, but he held her tight until Killian was done.

“Dad? What’s going on?” she urged, quickly getting rid of the newly discovered earplugs.

“It’s okay...J-just your old father protecting you as if you were still a little girl,” chuckled David. He was really being an idiot, thinking she wouldn’t understand the situation.

“Wha- I, no! It’s all good, Dad! I just, is this about Killian? Is he okay??” she suddenly realized, her heart beating fast in her chest at the thought of Killian being hurt while she slept.

“Yeah, yeah he...he is. I mean, he’s clearly not okay but he will be. I, arf I’m sorry Emma, I guess I’m just being tired,” added David, his thoughts clouded by the lack of sleep.

Emma stared at him before jumping into his arms and hugging him close. To hell with the “I’m a grown-up woman; I can take care of myself” talk. He had stayed all night with her even though he didn’t have to. That alone was already too much from him. David kissed the top of her head before a yawn escaped him.

“Alright, Papa-bear! I’m taking things back in hand….and thank you. Thank you so much for staying. You shouldn’t have to-”

“Oh no no! I’m not leaving you alone! I left you alone far too much already and I-”

“I swear, Dad! It’s going to be okay now. I’m ready to use Regina’s spell and heal him. It’ll be over in a few hours. Trust me.”

David looked at her, unsure of what to do. She smiled at him and he nodded before slowly getting up from the bed and moving toward the door.

“You sure you’ll be alright, Emma?” David asked, facing her again.

“Yeah. I’ll keep you updated!” she reassured him. She waved her hand to make her phone appear in her hand, back in one piece, making her father laugh. There was no other place where you could just flicker and poof yourself a new phone in hand.

Once David had left, Emma took steady breaths. She was going to make it work. She had to. She owed it to Killian. Emma jumped a little on the spot to rouse herself before heading straight to Killian’s chamber without looking back.

\-----

Whale had told her that they were going to let her know when she was allowed back inside Killian’s room. However, the wait was too long for Emma’s taste and she was ready now, not whenever Whale would feel the need to visit. After checking for any lurking nurse in the nearest corridors and finding no one, Emma opened Killian’s door, biting her lower lip as she remembered her younger days when she used to sneak inside stores. Well, old habits die hard.

Once again, she winced at her own stubbornness. Whale did have good reason not to let her in just like that: Killian’s appearance was anything but appealing. The shadows under his eyes looked deeper with the white light above his bed, the remnants of drool all over his chin and neck glimmered under the light each time he gasped or his head lolled on his pillow. And it was the slight shivering ever present that made her realize they had attached his forearms to the security bars on both sides of the bed. Limited in movement, it was certain Killian wouldn’t be able to hurt himself, but it also put a constant strain on him.

Emma stood still next to his bed, simply looking at him. As if the scene wasn’t already enough to shatter her courage, he was currently trying to breathe correctly between two coughing fits. _Hadn't they taken care of that?_ It wasn’t normal to cough that much; even less with a loose cough like he had. How could they leave him alone in that room when he could choke himself so easily? Machines were here for that, she knew it, but she wished someone was constantly by his side. She wished she could be.

She unconsciously took a step closer to him, and to her surprise, his body responded to her presence, almost stopping completely from shaking for her sake. It was like he knew it was her standing beside his bed. Emma was so lost in the reasons for his change of attitude that she didn’t hear him when he started whimpering her name. When she did, though, she immediately took a step back, her first reaction after the heavy warning from Whale not to disturb him.

Killian’s hand tightened before starting to feel around in order to find hers, his eyes moving under his eyelids. The motion sent a wave of panic through Emma, though her heart broke at the sight of his body trying to reach for her even in his unconscious state. So she ran outside in tears, closing the door after herself, sliding along the wall while she tried to master her sudden emotional outburst. Maybe she wasn’t ready to face and heal Killian right now, after all.

Emma came back later, once Whale actually allowed her to do so, after giving her a hard look. She might have not been as successful as she used to be at sneaking in and out without being noticed. This time, when Emma opened the door, Killian was awake and clean, his gaze focused on the open window, the spring breeze bringing a warm and floral scent into the room. She waited a moment, studying him, before making her presence known. He turned his head toward the newcomer but did not react to her, preferring to bring his attention back to the view of the outside world. And it hurt. It hurt Emma so much to see him so indifferent to her that she started to wonder: how was she supposed to save the man she loves when he wasn't even fully himself? Emma sighed and thought about leaving in order to come back later; with a bit more luck he would be less lost in the clouds. But then Killian gasped and started to frown while still looking at the windows.

“E...Emma?” he asked tentatively, slowly turning back so he was facing her.

“Yeah. It’s me, Killian. Do you remember me?” she asked with a soft smile on her lips. _Do you recognize your own wife_ , she continued in her head, even if it was a selfish move from her. She knew he wasn’t alright and it wasn’t his fault to be that lost.

Killian closed his eyes and repeated,

“Emma…”

She started to think their conversation was over when he didn’t move anymore for the next three minutes, but he frowned noticeably a second later. At first, Emma thought he was in pain again, but then he opened his eyes and it was like he was looking right through her soul.

“Swan! I-God, Swan I- Aaaah!” Killian yelped, his hand trying to reach his head in order to hold it, but the straps around his arms prevented the move. Instead, he shook his head until the pain faded away enough to speak again.

“Swan, I’m-I’m sorry! Sorry! I-” His sentence was once again cut short.

Emma didn’t dare to answer him in fear of distorting what was happening. And she couldn’t help but be terrorized by his behavior. She wasn’t sure of what had just happened ever since the minute he had first opened his eyes, or if he was going to stay that close to himself for long. But everything was telling her he was fighting against whatever force afflicted him in order to remain conscious and be in control of his thoughts. For her. A few labored breaths later, he seemed to have settled back, resting his head on the pillow while he cracked open his eyes, clearly exhausted and looking at her with a small, sad smile tugging the corners of his lips.

“I’m...sorry, love….it’s my-”

“Not it’s not.” She stopped him without thinking much about what he wanted to say in the first place. It wasn’t his fault and she needed to make that clear.

Her stern voice cut into his apologies and they just stared at each other for what felt like an hour. _Damn it, Em’, it’s_ _now or never._ She shook herself.

“Alright, Killian. You just stay put. I’m putting an end to all that craziness…” she started.

“I...wha-what?” he asked, visibly troubled by the change in her demeanor.

“I’m healing you from that- that ‘voice-pain’ or whatever it’s called. And it’s not up for discussion,” she told him firmly, convincing herself a little more at the same time. It was almost over and she wasn’t going to let everything turn to nothing by leaving enough time for his mind to go back to the fucked-up state. “Now stay put!”

“No, Emma, wait!” he screamed, his whole body tensing, tugging at his restraints.

But it wasn’t panic, or anything like the other reaction he’d had after something triggered a memory. It felt like Killian for once. A scared Killian, yes, but it was truly him talking. Not the craziness taking the lead. So Emma halted in her tracks and frowned at him, waiting for more details, more precision before doing anything reckless.

“Not here...” he whispered. “Y-you can but...n-not here,” mumbled Killian as if every word he was saying was stabbing him from the inside.

Emma looked at him with a pained face but ended up shaking her head: this was just a trick to win more time by whatever curse was in his mind. She had to use her magic, and right now. Her arms aimed straight for his head, though her left arm passed close by his right hand and it was enough for Killian to grab her wrist despite the limited amount of liberty the restraints allowed him. Emma froze, disconcerted by how strong his grip was after so many hours lying in a bed and being wracked by tremors.

“Not here! Please, not Here!” he whined, his eyes watering.

“Killian, let me go!” retorted Emma, trying to loosen his grip on her wrist.

“Nononono! Not here-Not Here! Can’t-can’t do it here- n-not- not HERE!”

Killian was back to the frantic state with tremors coursing through his body, and it was clear he was trying to fight back the panic, but it was useless: soon, his eyes rolled backward as he started having a seizure. Emma couldn’t understood why he was so adamant about not being healed here in this very room, implying that anywhere else would be just fine. In addition to that, she was completely lost regarding how to handle Killian’s seizure, but she was not going to lose him now. With her free hand, she smashed the emergency call button, thankfully not having to wait too long before a nurse came in. The sourpuss woman took a quick look at the situation before she walked quickly to the table next to the bed while Emma looked at her with disbelief. _Wasn’t she seeing that her husband was going into cardiac arrest!? Wait, what cardiac arrest??_ Emma realized. _Oh my God_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good thing the next chapter is out tuesday evening right?


	7. Chapter 7

Emma was still looking at the machine in front of her while the nurse was still taking in the situation. A cardiac arrest. The green line on the black monitor would go flat in the next seconds. Meaning his heart had stopped beating. Killian was fucking dying in front of her eyes and she was paralysed. Her whole body frozen by the panic and fear. Fear of losing him for good. Yet his body was still jerking on the bed next to her, though her brain had erased all trace of any information but the fact that she was losing him soon.

But the other woman didn’t lose her calm at the unstable heartbeat the monitor was showing, instead taking more time to rummage through several drawers until she found what she was looking for. Then she started jotting down a few notes, while Emma stared at Killian’s still-shaking body. The woman’s voice made Emma cringe when she called out to her.

“You! Push his left arm against the mattress and keep it steady, would you?” The old woman readied the syringe that was probably full of sedative or whatever product would stop Killian’s attack.

“What about the others?” Emma asked, panicked. She wasn’t entitled to do anything here. But the nurse didn’t bother to answer her, injecting a different fluid into the IV, its effect on Killian’s heartbeat almost spontaneous. Well, that was one danger put aside, Emma sighed, focusing on the task she’d been assigned. It was simple in theory, but more complex to execute while Killian’s left arm kept moving away from her.

“They’re on another emergency. Now be nice and shut up. I’m not asking much, just for you to focus on th-- !!! ”

Her bossy attitude was cut off, and a second later, when she realized the annoying person wasn’t talking anymore, Emma looked up with a frown from Killian’s arm, which she was still having a hard time keeping immobilized. She had just enough time to see the nurse’s body ending its flight in the opposite direction by being pinned against the wall. The sedative needle fell onto the floor underneath the woman, who was gripping her throat with her legs kicking the air in the hope of finding some support.

“What the hell??” Emma yelled, letting go of Killian’s arm, her gaze focused on the nurse.

Emma didn’t know what was happening. First, Killian totally ignoring her, then suddenly making more sense with what he was saying, followed by him losing his grip on reality and leaving Emma no choice other than to call the nurse team. A “team” which ended up being just one grumpy, sassy old bitch who was currently wiggling in midair, pinned against the wall. What was her life, seriously? wondered Emma before shaking herself out of her stupor. _Right_ , she was supposed to do something now. Closing her eyes, she used her magic to try and find whatever was trapping the woman. But Emma was interrupted right when she’d almost found the magical source by repetitive knocks on the door. The knob was moving, but the door remained closed. _Brilliant, now you’re stuck here, Em’._ Killian growled and for the first time since the nurse asked her to immobilize his arm, Emma turned her head to face him.

“What the fucking hell??” Emma gasped.

It was him. It had all been _him_. The nurse, probably the door, the magical blow that had knocked Emma unconscious inside the cave... Killian was using magic and Emma couldn’t help but stare at him, her mouth hanging open. Killian having fucking magic like her. How the hell was that possible in the first place? Emma closed her eyes, rubbing them with her palms. Everything was so fucked up right now and she didn’t know if she could handle it. But if she didn’t, what would happen to him? She snapped back to the present, taking a good look at the situation she was in.

Killian was staring at the nurse with a mixture of hatred, pain, anger and fear, grinding his teeth at her. His right arm was outstretched in her direction, shaking, with his hand straight open, palm facing the nurse. Well, he clearly hated the woman for some reason.

“Killian? Killian, can you hear me? I need you to stop hurting the nurse, okay?” Emma tried, waving her hand in front of him, but he simply snarled at her.

“Please, I need you to look at me, babe…” She brushed her fingers against his cheek, but again he answered with a feral noise.

“Okay, Emma...be smart. What could have upset him?” she asked herself, looking at the room, the nurse, the needle…

“Oh fuck, of course!” Emma snapped her fingers together.

“Killian? Killian, I, I’m sorry, okay? I’m going to fix you, but not here, alright? We’ll go wherever you want and then I’ll heal you, okay babe?” she almost pleaded.

And this time he didn’t growl at her. But he didn’t stop what he was doing with his magic either, and the nurse fainted right in front of them. Emma bit her lip. She didn’t have much time before the woman would die from asphyxia.

“Killian, I beg you, you’ve got to stop this madness!”

His gaze changed and only fear remained as blood flowed from his nose. _Such perfect timing, really_ , Emma thought ironically.

“Killian, please. Listen to me! I know you can hear my voice, so please. Stop this so I can help you…” she whispered, her eyes landing on the fallen needle when she looked for the nurse.

The sedative.

Wasting no time, she ran and grabbed the needle, coming back to the bed. Killian blinked rapidly when he saw the object, his breath quickening while his feet scrambled on the mattress in order to push himself away from Emma, who lifted her hand in the air and drove the needle right into the border of the mattress, emptying the contents before throwing it at the opposite end of the room.

“See? No more sedative. No healing in this place, okay? Please, Killian, you’re going to kill her if you don’t stop now!” implored Emma, her hands raised in submission.

When her voice stopped, Killian shivered violently, coming back to himself, taking in what was happening. With a gasp, his hand relaxed and his body went limp on the mattress, while the nurse’s body fell to the floor. Emma ran to check if she was breathing again, Killian’s panting breaths filling the room. Assured the woman would live, Emma walked back to Killian, who was swallowing with difficulty while his heartbeat slowed back down to a normal rhythm.

His body now fully relaxed, his eyes briefly met her gaze before he fell asleep.

\----

Killian grumbled for the umpteenth time. He had lost. _Again_.

“You know, you’d better concentrate harder.” The hooded figure chuckled at him as it reset the board game.

“There’s more at stake than just winning or losing, _Killian Jones,_ ” it repeated for the umpteenth time as well.

And again, Killian made the first move and again, the dark figure took the advantage, laughing at him.

“Bloody buggering hell! Can’t you just-?” cursed Killian, not having the patience anymore to let it make fun of him.

“You’re _weak,_ Jones; what can I do?” it sneered, making a new move.

However, Killian considered the position of the paw with a new point of view. It could be his chance, but it could be another trap. Wouldn’t be its first.

“Is this a trick?” Killian growled.

“I don’t know; you tell me?” it whispered with a fake innocent tone.

“Fucking stop with your nonsense!” Killian burst out, throwing the board aside.

“Mmmh...quite the hot-head, aren’t we?”

“I’m gonna shhh-!!” Killian grabbed his chest, leaning on his hooked arm for support as he tilted dangerously forward.

He wasn’t feeling well. Like everything inside his chest had just been ripped out. And the pain only increased the more he tried to move, or even breathe again. Suddenly, everything crumbled around him and he felt himself tumbling into the darkness, his eyes falling closed.

“Perhaps next time you’ll find the answer, _Killian Jones_ …” the dark voice echoed as Killian lost all grip on reality.

_You’re not alone against it, Killian. You’re stronger than the darkness. You just need to realize it._


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we are in the middle! But there’s still a LOT of fun ahead! Things are going to move and soon Killian will finally see the end of the new hell he has found himself trapped in...

Emma had waited a whole day before she was allowed to be at Killian’s side again. A whole new day to think about everything she’d done, everything he’d said, everything she’d seen or heard, everything she had _fucked up_. And she still didn’t have any clue about how to heal him, because Whale didn’t want to let him go and Killian had made it clear he wasn’t okay being healed _here_. The image of the magic pulsing from his hand etched itself in her mind. _No_ , she wouldn’t push him again to allow her to heal him at the hospital. So the plan was to find a loophole to the situation. Surely there was one; there always had been one for Gold in situations even more complicated than this one.

“ _You’re not just going to poof yourselves somewhere else, are you?_ ” her father had asked, horrified by the idea of having his daughter and mate in danger just because said man asked her to find another place.

With a long sigh, Emma let her head fall back and rest against the top of the chair that was put right next to the bed.

“Now what?” she wondered, her voice barely audible.

She heard sheets shifting to her left and she sat straight up in her chair. Killian was slowly awakening and Emma’s body showed how restless she was to talk to him again, to find a way out. A body that was betraying her neutral face that was now focused on Killian. His eyes fluttered open, trying to adjust to the luminosity and the place. He was once again lost for a moment before he took a deep and relieved breath. _Relieved about what, precisely_? _Did he wake up from a bad dream?_ Emma tilted her head, looking at each of his features, trying to find a clue. Alas, she couldn’t read him and it bothered her.

“Killian, you okay there?” she asked softly.

When his eyes looked up at her face, she knew why she couldn't read him the way she usually could. Something was... _different_. The two forget-me-not irises weren’t the same. Their blue had changed for a deepest and darkest midnight one, with slightly more dilated pupils. But Emma was lost all the same, staring at them, slowly drowning in the two pools.

“Emma?”

His voice was still hoarse from sleep, with a dash of concern. _Fuck._ It was doing things to her and it wasn’t really the appropriate moment, but she was helpless against it.

“Are you alright, love?” he continued, his brows falling deeper.

Shaking her head, she closed her slightly parted mouth, feeling the warm sensation of a blush spreading on her cheeks. What was she doing?

“I-umh yeah, yeah everything's fine… A-are you?” she stammered, trying to concentrate on what she was supposed to say.

He was on the verge of answering her question when his face contorted in pain.

“Killian!?”

“It’s-I, I’m ok-kay, L-love,” he croaked between clenched teeth.

But when he opened his eyes again, the blue was back to the more vibrant one she was used to seeing every day. Something had made them turn again, and Emma wondered if it had anything to do with his current disturbed mental state. Could there be two Killians in one? But that was impossible, right? Why did her brain even end up at that conclusion? Killian was needing help, that was all. And she was here to do just that.

“You don’t look okay, Killian! Let me help!” she urged, concerned by the change of his eyes, her hand already lightening with her magic, more by reflex than intention.

“No-n,not here! Swan I-nnngh!” he whimpered, shaking his head, scrambling away from her.

“I know, I’m sorry!” Frustrated that her magic had started working without her opinion, she snuffed it out immediately before reaching out for him.

She had to be more attentive with her comings and goings if she wanted to keep Killian on the “right side” of his mind. It was the only way she could keep having a coherent discussion with him. The only way to find a solution to the dead end they were in.

“You- You got to go t-there!” Killian pleaded, one eye open, his hand grabbing her wrist.

Taken aback by the unexpected switch of blue in his eyes once more--and with it the subtitle change in his determination--Emma let Killian squeeze her wrist until it became too painful for her to stay silent and still. She winced, a small yelp escaping her mouth, and Killian stared at her, the change of emotion perceptible in his gaze. He dropped her hand to hastily clutch his head now that the armband had been removed. Emma could only stare at him, shocked, while he was at war within himself. Or was it between? Releasing a deep shout, Killian launched himself onto his right side, almost falling from the bed if not for his support on Emma, then resumed his previous action. Holding Emma’s wrist and without waiting any longer, Killian started to use his magic again. Emma immediately felt the magic emanating from his hand that was locked around her wrist while she was trying to understand what his current plan was.

“You- You got to bring u-us here! GAAAH!”

The prickles on her skin stopped briefly the moment his eyes rolled back into their sockets, but magic quickly resumed its work. The images were jerking in her mind in rhythm with how Killian was stable or screaming and wriggling in pain, but in the end, she was able to picture a precise place and how to reach it.

Emma realized it wasn’t far from the cave where they had first found Killian, who now let go of her wrist with a deep growl, his head falling backward on the mattress, the pillow on the verge of falling from it. His whole body convulsed for several long seconds, after which Killian went rigid, gasping like a fish out of water.

Emma quickly looked around as if someone would come to help them, but she was well and truly alone with Killian and her own panic. However, her instincts jumped in and she firmly grabbed his face between her hands, her thumbs drawing circular motions on his cheeks.

“Breathe, Killian, breathe! Focus on my voice and try to take deep breaths. There, it’s over, it’s over. You’re going to be fine, just breathe, babe.”

Her soft voice plus her touch brought him back to the present, and slowly he managed to take a normal amount of air into his lungs, his body relaxing under her touch. She smiled at him, looking at his shining eyes, which were back to their original color. The blue washed away the fear and panic inside her body, and for once she felt all the tension being released, leaving just enough for her to stay up on her feet.

“Hello, Captain...you’re safe with me, ‘kay? I’ll make sure to bring us to the place you showed me and then I’ll help with the voices, alright?” she purred, both relieved and still concerned, her fingers caressing his cheeks.

He listened to her, rapidly frowning when she mentioned to him that he had shown her the location of what probably was the coven. But the incertitude was gone as fast as it came, leaving him to fully relax in her warmth. He replied to her smile with one of his own.

“I love you, Killian. Now rest. I’ll go make sure we can get out of here without trouble,” she whispered breathlessly. She lay his head down on the pillow that she had placed back under him, leaving a chaste kiss on his lips before she was gone.

Killian looked at her from the corner of his eye, the smile stuck on his face. Blissfully ignorant of the shadow forming in the opposite corner of the room.

Inevitably, Killian ended up resting his eyes for a few minutes. But once he was under a light slumber, he heard the dark voice ironically sigh, mocking the pirate’s contented noise at the moment of peace. Snapping his eyes open, Killian scanned the room until he found the cloaked form, the previous regular beeping from the heart monitor becoming more pronounced in the silent room. Killian stared at it, his mind fighting the anxiety rising within him. It couldn’t be there. It was only with him during his unconscious moments; he was sure of it. And right now, Killian was certain he was very much awake. The shadow came close enough for Killian to be able to see the feral grin glimmering inside the hood.

“You’re losing...You’re not strong enough, _Killian Jones_. He’s coming out and you won’t be able to stop us…” The ghost voice reverberated into Killian’s whole quivering body.

“Y-you’re not here! I... I’m no Dark One, you, you cannot be there! You’re just a trick!” Killian answered, trying to reassure himself more than argue with the shadowy form. His brain made the connection on its own between the apparition and the fact that he had once been a Dark One, fueling the dwindling of Killian's hope.

“Tss-Tss-Tss. Nonsense! You know we’re here...We have always been…”

Killian violently shook his head. They weren’t. They couldn’t. Emma had destroyed the darkness in him long ago. Hell, he had died! This was just his mind creating hallucinations. The thought made him feel sicker with each passing second.

“You’re _losing_ and you won’t be able to protect them from us…” it hissed, taunting its prey.

“I-I can! I c-can protect them! You-you’re not here!” Killian tried to sound sure of his declarations, scrambling backward to sit up against the headrest in hopes of looking more confident by being upright. But also in fear, desperately trying to get as far as possible from the cloaked figure.

His throat was squeezed shut and he soon gasped, shaking from head to toe as the cloaked figure started to laugh a deep, evil laugh while the room was becoming darker and darker. Killian closed his eyes, shaking his head. It was just a nightmare; he would wake up, Swan would be with him and everything would be alright. It was just a nightmare, he repeated like a mantra. But he could feel the presence of the shadow pressing against him, seeping its cold into his skin, muscles and bones. And Killian screamed. He screamed as loud as he could, howling Emma's nickname in the hope that she would come. But all it did was ruin the little healing his vocal cords had done during his time at the hospital. Soon, he was thrashing in his bed against the growing paralysis of his body.

Then Killian felt the voices gathering in his head. It was a true mess, but even though it seemed to him they were trying to fight back the darkness, trying to help him, all of their efforts only sent Killian deeper into despair. It was too much, and as Killian finally lost it, his subconscious took over, leaving him to seize in his bed, mumbling like the first time Emma found him. While inside, Killian was even more motivated to leave the voices buried deep down so the darkness would be wrong. He would not let any of them take control like earlier, now that he realized what had happened when Emma was still with him. He would keep every one of them safe.

He would keep himself safe from the rest of the world.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! First big chapter lol (or at least it looks like that on my google doc haha) And to be honest things gonna get fun now :D And a lot of thing will happens haha but umh first another terrible ending lies ahead...

After finding all her strength back from her emotional rollercoaster, Emma had been walking down the halls, looking for Whale as she texted her father to meet her by Killian’s chamber as soon as he could. It had been hard, but she’d found her loophole, and Emma was happy to finally have the end in sight with the healing of her pirate. She had almost reached the reception hall when she heard someone running behind her.

“Miss Swan. Miss Swan!!” the voice she recognized as belonging to Dr. Whale called out.

Emma turned, a smile tugging her lips at the idea of ending all the problems with Killian. However, Whale seemed to have other ideas in mind. And a smile was absolutely not on his face.

“What did you do?” he asked firmly.

“I-What?” mumbled Emma, surprised by Whale’s cold voice.

“What happened when you were with the pirate? What did you do to him?” His tone was sharp, almost angry at her.

“What do you mean ‘ _what did I do to him,_ ’ Whale??” Emma stared at him with pure confusion, her happiness slowly slipping away.

“I find him seizing, almost falling on the fucking floor! So I’m asking you again: What. Did. You. Do?” he growled, now clearly angry and pissed off.

“He-what? But that’s impossible! He was... He was just fine!” exclaimed Emma, a pit of panic forming in her gut.

“You’re not helping much. I need details to do my job correctly, Sheriff.”

“I, we talked and he, he had a panic attack, okay?” It wasn’t entirely true but she wasn’t going to tell him her husband got magic out of nowhere, for fear of having Whale keep him here longer. “But I managed to calm him down and all his monitors were just fine, Whale. He was even smiling at me and we were having a coherent discussion!” She laughed nervously, his idiot smiling face flashing in her mind. “So yeah, everything was fine when I left him and started looking for you.”

“I hope it’s the truth you’re telling me, Emma, ‘cause he’s in a seriously bad condition, and if we hadn’t put him under an artificial coma he would have probably continued to seize until his death,” grumbled Whale, already looking for any other explanation than the one Emma had given.

Emma went rigid. “You did _what_?!”

“What ‘what’?” Victor answered. He was looking at her like she was a simple-minded person, and his behavior was enough for Emma to shift from worry to anger.

“You-You said you’ve put him into a coma?” repeated Emma, her blood already boiling in her veins. This couldn’t be happening. This was just a trick from Whale to make her feel bad. It had to be.

“Yes! It was that or lose him for good,” replied Whale nonchalantly.

“Wake him up now,” she ordered as she came to stand face to face with the doctor.

A coma? Who could just decide to put people under artificial comas like that? Well, people in the hospital, medics and all do, but right now? Her mind wasn’t really giving much favor to them. She had a plan. It was working so far. But Whale just broke everything to pieces by telling her he had bloody put her husband under a fucking coma. So Emma started to wonder what she could do to free Killian from that fate, even if she had to use an unconventional method. She wasn’t going to let Whale ruin her initial plan just because he said so.

“I don’t think that’s possible, Sheriff. Stopping the coma state right now could have serious repercussions on him and I’m not doing it, not even for you,” Whale defended himself, turning his back at her, closing the discussion and starting to walk toward Killian’s room.

“Hell you are! You’re doing it right now or I’ll make sure you’re telling me how to undo that co-” Emma started to yell, following him until she felt hands stopping her brutally.

“Emma, Emma stop! What’s happening here?” David interrupted.

He had heard the start of their altercation, and seeing his daughter running after Victor with her hand balled into fist and a voice laced with despair wasn’t really what he’d call a good thing. Thus, he was glad that he had arrived before Emma could do anything stupid that she would likely regret later...or perhaps not. After all, he never regretted punching the man right in his face.

“I guess our dear sheriff was threatening to force me to free one of my patients just because she asked,” scoffed the white-haired man, clearly feeling at ease with David holding back his pissed-off daughter.

Offended by the mere thought of her father being on Whale’s side, Emma retorted,

“Dad! He put Killian into a coma! How can I just let this go??”

Couldn’t her father see what he was doing to Killian by condemning him to a coma? The more she thought about it, the more the fact settled inside her head, terrifying her even more.

“Wowowow. First things first: how did we end up here in the first place? Killian was doing some sort of ‘fine’ last time I was here,” David was taken aback by the details of the situation being revealed to him.

“Jones was seizing, got him under an artificial coma to keep him stable while we think of a better plan of action. One that will have _positive_ effects on his health,” pushed Whale, looking at Emma, daring her to find an answer to that.

“Oh!” said David simply .

“You’re not serious, David?” Emma turned to look at her father, shocked.

“Emma, I-I don’t see what the problem is. I mean, Victor clearly did what was best for Killian, taking into account the situation, and-”

“No! You don’t understand, we, we talked and we had... we _have_ a plan to heal him! But I can’t do that here! ” Emma snapped, revealing her real intentions to the two men.

“And taking him outside? In his condition? You must be joking, Miss Swan!”

“I’m certainly NOT,” Emma growled, making sure both of them understood her.

“Emma, wait a second. How, how is this a good plan?” pleaded her father, trying to make her see the mistake she was making by wanting to take Killian out.

“Everytime I tried to heal him here, he just panicked or worse, and today? Like ten minutes ago? I just talked with him and got the same reaction, but he did mention the fact that somewhere in particular would be fine. So yeah, this is my plan and I’m counting on following it, with or without your approval!”

And this time, neither of them opened their mouths to disagree with her. Doctor Whale was probably more shocked by the revelation of how much Killian suffered each time Emma snuck to his side, details she hadn’t given him. And perhaps her glowing fists were partly to blame as well, and to be honest, she wasn’t even sorry. When they didn’t move, though, Emma rolled her eyes and walked past Whale, knocking against his shoulder as she did so.

David rushed to follow, leaving Whale behind. “Emma, sweetheart! Where are you going?”

“I’m going to take him out; I don’t care if I have Whale’s consent or not,” she firmly declared.

“Right, well, I won’t let you ruin my devices!” Whale yelled after them.

“Good to know! Now meet us in his room!” snapped Emma as she took a turn at the intersection.

\----

Tensions were still high, but at least Emma was certain Whale was going to cooperate for his hospital’s sake.

“Fine. So if you decide to stop the artificial coma, I will, but know that the risks after that operation are yours to bear. If he dies, you better not come back and whine, because you’ll be the one to blame. Not me, not anyone in that room. Just you,” Victor declared, handing her papers to sign.

Before Emma could do anything, she was stopped by her father’s hand on the file.

“Emma, are you sure? We’re talking about his life, here.”

“Do you think I’m not aware of that?” Seriously, her own father wasn’t going to stand in her way, right?

“I just want to make sure. Perhaps, perhaps there’s another way...another choice!”

“There isn’t! He’s my husband and right now I’m the one who will take the blame if anything happens. We have to try. Killian’s got two choices; staying mad for the rest of his life in a hospital, alive or in cerebral death, OR we try to save him. So, yes, I’m sure of what I’m doing!” Emma said through clenched teeth.

She was a bundle of nerves and she knew the risks. But she also knew it was their only option, and she trusted Killian and his sudden magical aptitude to have shown her the right place, and her own magic to heal him. Taking back the papers, she signed them and put them on the table, nodding at Whale. The man wasn’t for her idea and he didn’t bother to hide it but did as she asked, starting the process to bring Killian back. It would take a few hours, but as soon as he was stable enough, they would discharge him and the three of them would be free to go.

Five hours later, everything was in order, and even though Killian was mostly unconscious, Emma and her father carried him without too much difficulty through the long way to the place in the vision. The wheelchair was perfect for the road part, but as soon as they arrived at the border of the forest, they had to transport him with their own hands. David had been able to carry him in his arms for most of the path, though the last few miles Emma had to help David in order to get past some tricky obstacles. Then they arrived at a small clearing, which was still mostly covered by the tall trees, the sun hardly passing through their thick foliage. It felt like they were being watched, a presence to give a person chills even in the warm temperature of the forest. David carefully lay Killian down on a carpet of moss that appeared as if it had been waiting for his son-in-law before looking around him, wiping the beads of sweat off his forehead.

“So, this is it. This is the famous place?” he inquired, not very trusting.

“It has to be!” replied Emma, frustrated. This was the place she had seen in her mind. She couldn’t have been mistaken! But there was nothing, and surely Killian wouldn’t send them to a random place to heal him. “I guess there’s only one way to know for sure…”

She knelt down next to Killian, brushing his forehead, gently stroking his shoulder before whispering close to his ear.

“Hey Killian, we’ve arrived. It's time to wake up, babe. You can take your time; I’m right here.”

Killian slowly started to stir, his eyes moving under his eyelids while he let go of a yawn. Emma giggled and his hand rapidly started searching for her. She took his between both her hands, drawing circles inside his palm while she kept talking to him. Blinking a few times, he frowned at the new scenery before catching sight of Emma in his field of vision.

“E-Emma?” he feebly asked.

“Yeah I'm here, Killian; how do you feel?” Her voice was gentle.

But before he could answer, Killian awkwardly threw himself into her arms, wrapping his arms around her, his hand gripping the back of her shirt as he shuddered, tears suddenly flowing freely. Emma sat still for a moment before returning his embrace, holding him tight as he emptied himself on her shoulder.

“I thought - I, I thought I'd lost y-you!” he sobbed, squeezing his hand harder, anchoring himself as much as he could.

“I'm here, Killian,” she quickly assured him. “I'm right here with you and I'm not going anywhere, you hear me? I won't.”

She felt him nodding before he nudged his head into her neck, progressively calming himself. David stepped aside, looking confused at Emma, who only shook her head. She didn't have any idea what had happened to make him think she had somehow left him or, even worse, that one of them had died? But feeling how wet her shirt was, it was certain she was going to have a few words with Whale once everything was over. Speaking of, she still had to make sure it was the right place. Reluctantly, she pushed Killian aside, cupping his face between her hands. She wiped the last tears and slowly kissed him, showing all her love for him. A kiss that took a more passionate and desperate turn until David coughed, reminding them of his presence. Emma smiled, her lips still on Killian’s.

“Alright, I think we’ll need to continue that later, Captain,” she whispered, licking her lips. “I wanted to ask you something, Killian. I, I don’t know if you remember but you told me when we were at the hospital that I couldn’t heal you back there. Then you showed me a place and I wanted to make sure we’re at the right location. Can you tell if I brought us to the right place?”

“I, I don’t remember exactly, Swan…” he mumbled, sniffing as he took a look at where he was sitting and frowning when he seemed to have identified something. “But, I-”

_Let me guide her._

Killian froze. That voice… _No._ It couldn't be.

“Killian, is everything okay? What is it? Is it the voices again?” Worried, Emma reached for his shoulder.

_It’s alright, Killian, just let go, I’ll take care of-_

“NO!” Killian screamed. He closed his eyes as his hand reached for his head.

“Killian! Killian, it’s okay! Just focus on me, alright?” Emma pleaded, though her hand dropped to her lap, not wanting to overwhelm him.

“I c-can’t! I. They’re going to- H-hurts!” winced Killian, trying to push back the mental intrusion.

_Killian, don’t listen to them! They’re lying to you, to us. You can trust **me,** Killian._

“I can’t,” breathed Killian as he rested his head on the floor, tears burning in his eyes.

“Killian? What are they saying?” asked Emma, stroking his back. “I just want to help you, babe.”

_Killian, she can help us. But not here._

“Can’t- can’t help S-swan…. n-not here!” whined Killian.

“Then tell me. Tell me where we need to go!” she pleaded, feeling the need to put a stop to Killian’s distress but also the presence of her father behind her. She held her hand up so he would stop coming closer.

_You just have to let me out, mate; I’ll lead her to the coven! Just let me-_

“STOP! Just STOP!” screamed Killian, his hand shaking in his hair.

_Jones! Don’t listen to them!_

“Can’...must, must protect! Must protect them! Can’t-can’t-”

_That’s right… Use that strength to protect them all, Killian Jones; protect yourself from them…_

That new voice was darker than the first one, though. Bewitching Killian too quickly, too easily. Tempting him to use the newfound power and protect himself from the other voices, from the pain, from everything. In a moment of weakness, Killian let go, surrendering to the easy way, to the darkness.

_Killian, NO!!_

At the same moment, Emma jerked away from Killian, who had started shivering, as she felt her hand that was on his back burn. Something was going wrong, and it was only when her father screamed to look out that she realized it: black tendrils were coming from the ground, right under Killian, vine-like forms spreading around him to form a shield. It was clear that whatever magic was in him was currently trying to separate them.

“Emma? Emma, what’s happening to him?” asked David as he reached to take his daughter away from the dark magic.

“I-I don’t know, Dad.” She merely breathed, letting her dad take them backwards a few meters. She had no idea what could have caused his magic to create some sort of shield. Although, was it a shield in the first place?

“Can you, can you do something against it?” David couldn’t take his eyes off of the thickening black smoke around Killian’s body.

“I’ve no idea. Perhaps if…” she started, reaching ahead with her hand and setting free her own magic. But all it did was make sparkles when it contacted the dark smoke, which decided to attack them in return, leaving Emma no choice but to create a shield of her own to protect her dad and herself.

“This can’t be good…” stated David, earning himself a snort from his daughter.

_Killian, you’re stronger than it! You can fight back its influence! You have to fight, mate!_

But Killian could not answer the friendlier voice this time, only focus on staying awake under the growing pressure building on every side. He felt that his whole body was burning, the magic around him hurting him more than protecting as it had promised. And it would be so easy to just give up and let it burn him completely, freeing him from the terrible agony being inflicted upon him. Freeing him from the confusion the voices in his head were creating.

_Jones, you have to. It’s the only way. It will destroy us all!_

“I- I must...protect...them…” Killian choked, lost in his own thoughts.

What did he really want? Where was he already? Hell, he barely managed to remember who he was at the moment.

_Mate, I can handle them!_

_Is it really worth the risk, though_? Killian couldn’t let the cloaked figure win...and letting that voice free would lead him and the others to their defeat. _No_. He had to stay in control of his body.

“Killian! Killian, I know you can hear me!” yelled Emma, pressed against the magical barrier. “Whatever is happening, you can find a way back to me! I _trust_ you Killian! I love you!” She had to scream over the buzzing magic. She couldn't do anything else until there was no more life-threatening danger keeping them from approaching Killian. All Emma could do was show Killian support.

And her voice was a soothing balm over him, giving him enough respite through the pain to allow him to catch his breath in the suffocating darkness, to clear his own thoughts... only to allow more space for the voices to speak inside his head.

_Papa?...Papa, please! You have to let go!_

That voice...Killian could have sworn he knew it. Hope was too young to speak, but it felt so much like hers. Only, if he decided to let go as she asked…

_Trust me...trust us, Killian. We can beat them… you’re the one who owns the keys ... certainly not them…._

Killian snapped his eyes open, trying to look around him, searching for Emma, but the dark magic swirling around him was preventing him from seeing her. All he could see was the vegetation around him greying, dying like he was. Yet he struggled to break through. If she could help him to stop the burning fire...

“Swan? Swaaan!!“ Killian shouted, trying to push the magic aside, only to find himself encompassed in it even more until he lost consciousness.

When Killian opened his eyes again, he was looking at an oppressive empty space, plunged into silence. The first thing he tried to do was to speak, but no sound came out of his mouth. Panic started choking him when he realized the problem.

“You’ve lost, _Killian Jones_ …I told you; there’s more at stake than just _this…_.”

Killian spun on his heels and came face to face with the same hooded figure, his hand still around his throat. And this time, as it walked closer to him, Killian realized there were details he’d missed since the beginning. At that realisation, Killian tried to run away, but he was stuck in place, transfixed by shivers. The man took off his dark hood, using his hand and _hook_ to reveal a too-familiar face: DarkHook.

Killian wanted to speak, to ask. How. _Why_? But his lips were moving silently while fear rose in his chest. This couldn’t be. DarkHook was supposed to be on his side; hell he _was_ inside of him, if the other voices meant anything! But his eyes couldn’t deny the man standing in front of him. Could his friend have been both -his friend and the hooded figure- since the start?

“DarkOne tricks, DarkOne lies.”

The quote from the previous DarkOne Killian knew echoed in his head, ending up paralyzing him.

“You can’t do anything to stop me now...to stop us,” the other man sneered. “You _failed_ to protect them from yourself and now... now we’re going to get free, thanks to you…”

Stepping closer to Killian, DarkHook poofed his dagger into his hand and, without an ounce of hesitation, stabbed Killian right in the heart, laughing as Killian stumbled backward, already feeling light-headed, hot liquid flowing down his clothes and hand. Tasting copper, Killian tried to cough only to spit out more of the blood that was invading his mouth. As Killian thought everything was lost for good, he felt like his brain was being hacked by someone. He tried to fight against it as long as he could despite the throbbing hole in his chest, but soon he had no choice but to surrender to the new control.

In the end he did lose and everything was his fault.

All that time, Emma and David had been observing closely the dark magic swirling around Killian from behind their own magical barrier. They spotted his fingers coming through the dark smoke only to disappear a second later. David had to wrap his arms around Emma’s midsection in order to stop her from running to Killian as the darkness formed a solid dome around him and his screams for help were muffled within the dark space.

Everything went silent after that. David and Emma thought that was it: they’d just lost Killian for good, _again_.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Killian truly gone? Will the rest of the Joneses Package live? Only 6 chapter left to know!

Two things Killian Jones had always praised himself for were his good looks and the fact that he was a survivor.

And perhaps it was just this fact being true once more, or perhaps they’d just been blessed by a miracle, but either way, the dome where Killian was imprisoned started to crack, and several minutes later, it crumbled to dust.

Though, the pile of dust remained still.

David and Emma stared at it, not daring to blink in fear of missing something. The silence was oppressive and Emma felt her legs trembling, her knuckles turning white as she held her hands close, holding on to the small fragment of hope that, somehow, Killian wasn’t really gone.

One lonely tear escaped her eye as they waited. Then the heap began to stir, and though it was impossible for a body to be under the ashes, a hand emerged from it, violently grabbing the clean grass as if it were looking for something to use as an anchor, making the two spectators jump. Emma gasped the moment the grey dust was blown away by a small breeze and she recognized the three unmistakable rings that belonged to her husband. Dread filled both Emma and David as they continued waiting, holding their breath.

Then the scene taking place in front of them was pretty much taken from one of those Harry Potter movies from David’s point of view, the one with the bird coming back to life from his own ashes. However, what was happening in front of Emma wasn’t something she would look at with awe or genuine interest. No, it was bringing her right back to that dark evening when she had sacrificed herself to the darkness in order to save everyone in town. An icy chill ran down her spine at the memory. She had the feeling that what was moving under the ashes wouldn’t be her Killian.

Slowly, the greyish dust fell on the ground, revealing Killian rising from the pile of ashes, shaking and unsteady. His jacket had disappeared, leaving him with a half-burned shirt, torn open on its left side and at each shoulder, with the right sleeve dangling yet still attached to the main fabric by a few threads, his jeans not looking any better, burned with claw-like rips.

“J-Jones?” David asked first, even though Emma had the same question on the tip of her tongue. No one was sure of who or what had risen in front of them. It looked like Jones, but was it really him?

As much as Killian wanted to answer them, reassure his friend, he couldn’t do a thing. Not even take a bloody breath. The thing that was his priority issue at the moment. But how to accomplish such a simple thing when you’re struggling to take and keep control over your own body? In addition to that, Killian was in pure panic but also in shock. He was dead. He saw it, he _felt_ it. The life flowing out of his chest where the bloody dagger had pierced him. And yet, here he was, staring at the moss floor where he had been lying before DarkHook had stabbed him. The mere memory made his heart squeeze in his chest: another clue that he was very much alive. But now that he knew that, knew he was alive for real, Killian was holding on for dear life to keep the control that he should have never let go. But he felt his consciousness flicker every second. It was like invisible hands were trying to tear his soul apart from his body, to detach him from it. Just like in the hospital. Though right now the burning inside his lungs was making it considerably worse.

On the other side, DarkHook was having none of it and with more than half control over Killian’s consciousness, it was just a matter of seconds before he would take back control of Killian’s unstable mind. Hook hated the idea of forcing his friend to surrender to his will, but he had almost lost him to the darkness the previous minute. They’d almost _died_ within him because of his stubbornness. With a new sharp pull, Killian had no choice but to let the other man take the reins over his body.

_I’m sorry, mate, but you leave me no other choice._

“ _I never got much choice anyway..._ ” mocked Killian in a whisper at the voice before falling unconscious inside his own body once again.

The moment Killian truly let go, DarkHook gasped for air, falling face first on the green moss just beside the ashes residue. As a DarkOne, he wouldn’t have been bothered by holding his breath longer, but in this body, he was a slave to the basic living needs of a frail human. As fresh air entered his lungs, a wave of relief washed over him, quickly followed by nausea. A growing feeling that left him more and more sick until he had no other option than to throw up the black liquid coming from his guts, bile burning his throat the same way.

“Hell that hurts…” heaved DarkHook, trying to regain some composure under the sickness assault, all while completely suppressing the presence of the darkness in Killian’s body.

He’d been a fool to think that whatever had happened to them at the start wouldn’t have messed with the fact that he was the DarkOne and possessed dark magic. Yes, it had been useful to guide Emma, but at what price? Speaking of which, Emma had undone her protecting spell and was slowly getting closer to him. DarkHook smiled at the thought of being healed soon, but Killian decided to fight back the same moment, leaving Hook battling against the searing pain in his head while a worried Emma stood next to his quivering body.

“Ki...Killian? Is it... is it you?” Emma asked, stopping her movements when she saw him wincing.

“A-Aye...we have-we have t-- AAARK!”

“Emma, get away!” ordered David, coming closer as well.

“No, David, you --Nnngh!!” DarkHook cut in, but then he lost his grasp and Killian was back, only to panic at the sudden presence of someone else other than Emma.

“S-swan I-!”

“Killian, it’s okay! It’s just us, just David and I!” She tried to calm him, but Killian shook his head, falling back onto his side.

“Dad, step back! “

“No! I’m not leaving you alone with him! Not anymore!” David argued, coming to kneel right behind her.

“E--Emma!” pleaded DarkHook between clenched teeth, having managed to come back and this time planning to stay until he had brought them to the coven.

Emma turned her face toward him, frowning as she was able to recognize the same change in Killian’s eyes.

“You...” she breathed, finally understanding that it wasn’t entirely Killian who was speaking.

With a twisted grin, Hook looked at her. That woman was indeed bloody brilliant. Though he felt his body being submerged by fear at the fact: Emma didn’t know about the coven, and she shouldn’t, for the protection of them all, and Jones knew it pretty well. It had been such a long time since DarkHook had felt so much fear at once that he was paralyzed by it for a moment, trying to take a shaky breath through his squeezed throat. Feeling his distress, Emma took him by the shoulders, helping him to sit against her so he could breathe with more ease. Chuckling, Hook opened a tired eye and looked at her, his skin covered with sweat that glimmered when it caught a beam of light piercing through the branches above them.

“T-Thanks L-luv,’“ he stuttered before groaning as he pushed himself up, taking the time to steady himself.

“What are you doing?” Emma asked, worried, but he simply shook his head and closed his eyes, focusing.

“Hold on to me, love,” he whispered several seconds later, his hand humming with his magic.

Emma stared at him momentarily before looking to her father, who was fixing them with a questioning gaze as well. Emma quickly moved so she was hugging Killian from behind, holding tight. When he felt ready, Hook reached in front of himself and let his magic open the magical barrier that was hiding the coven from anybody else. The pair disappeared an instant later, leaving David dumbfounded to realize he was alone in the now-too-quiet clearing without any way to know if his daughter and son-in-law would be alright.

\----

Emma remembers holding Killian's back, like a koala. And she finds it really stupid when she thinks about it, but then there's a flash and Emma is thrown into light. It’s too bright for her to immediately open her eyes, but it’s like she’s floating into the white space surrounding her.

 _Am I dreaming?_ she wonders, trying to understand how she could end up here in so little time.

_I’ll let you take it from here, love…_

Emma jumps at the voice. She wants to answer, to ask questions of that mysterious voice. She’s sure she knows to whom it belongs, yet that knowledge won't make a difference as she can’t formulate a single word.

_You have the magic needed in you; just trust your instincts, Emma._

She tries to focus and understand the riddle but she thinks she’s waking up. Everything is starting to get fuzzy, unfastening, breaking apart.

_I’ll come around and help as soon as I can, but you two are the key to our salvation._

And as fast as she realized she was really conscious and not simply dreaming, Emma was pulled back to the present.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While our little koala!Emma is holding tight to Killian, it's finally time to take huge step in the story...

When Emma came back to her senses, she quickly noticed she was missing Killian’s warmth against her front from where she had been holding on. _Did something happen- hold on_. She’d been dreaming just a few seconds ago, hadn’t she? 

Snapping her eyes open, Emma looked around her and was taken aback by the landscape.

The place looked like a huge meadow, surrounded by tall trees--pines and certainly other species. A soft breeze was blowing through the grass as the sun cast the place under an unnatural yellowish glow. Crickets and birds were already lulling her with their melodies and Emma swore she could hear the gurgling sound of a river near the trees on her right. She blinked a few times and turned her head to discover a huge mansion behind her. The building was tall with imposing architecture, yet it fit perfectly with its surroundings, even holding a warm and welcoming sensation when you look at it closely. A washing line was standing just a few meters from her location, two lonely shirts drying under the sun, moving along with the breeze. 

“Wow…” was the only thing Emma could whisper after she had immersed herself completely in the scenery. She was completely bewitched by the new-found location, her whole body starting to relax without her knowing it, the place appeasing her soul. 

Then her main preoccupation rushed back into her mind. _Killian_. She needed to look for him, as he’d been missing from her side when she opened her eyes. Taking a good look at her surroundings, she spotted a building made of glass, half hidden by luxurious vegetation. _Must be a greenhouse_ , Emma thought, walking in its direction, her attention again diverted from her original quest. The more she moved forward, the more she realized the glass roof extended toward the forest, a multitude of trees, flowers and various plants growing inside and outside the little cabins, palm trees coming out from open windows while climbing plants covered the front wall of the main greenhouse. Once again, Emma stood still, staring at the breathtaking place. Whoever lived here was a very lucky person and had great taste. 

At her right side, a sound that didn’t belong immediately caught her attention, putting an end to her reverie. Facing that direction, Emma spotted a pair of black denims sticking out from behind a still-young tree, and she knew they belonged to Killian. She quickly jogged to the tree, relieved to see Killian sleeping soundly, his back resting against the trunk. He looked so peaceful and calm that Emma did not dare to interrupt his rest. Alas, Killian felt her presence and stirred awake, looking at her with a lazy smile.

“Hello, luv,’” Killian welcomed, his voice thick with sleep.

“Hey...how are you? I couldn’t find you after we, well, arrived? I guess.” She laughed, realizing she didn’t even know that much about how they had traveled to that place. Magical teleportation was her first guess, though.

“You were sleeping... ‘didn’t want to wake you…” Killian murmured, trying to fight against the warmth of the sun calling him back to sleep.

“Oh...how, how long did I sleep?” Emma wondered. She was sure her dream only lasted a few seconds.

“Mmh….a little over an hour, I guess?” 

“A-an hour? Damn it, Killian! You should have woken me up!”

“What can I say? You look so beautiful when you sleep,” he chuckled, but his flirtatious mood was ruined by strong shivers.

“Killian, you okay?” Emma put an urgent hand on his shoulder until the shivering fit stopped.

“A-aye. This is nothing.” 

“I beg to differ here, pirate,” Emma teased, but her voice was laced with worry. Didn’t he realize he wasn’t alright at all? Even his clothes were screaming the total opposite of “ _I’m perfectly fine!_ ” 

Emma shook her head; at the same time, Killian’s state was once again getting worse, and she was about to use her magic to erase the pain written all over his face without his consent. But Killian focused back to the present, eyes closed as he tried to steady his erratic breath.

“It’s getting worse, isn’t it?” Killian finally asked, his gaze focused on her as he came face to face with the undeniable.

Emma stared blankly at him for a second before biting her lower lip and nodding. Her eyes shone with tears and, hell, she just didn’t want to lose him for real! They didn’t have time to wait anymore, but she couldn’t just force him, either. Her stubborn love for him was stopping her from denying his only wish. But he was somehow dying, and her heart was breaking too. 

And as if the simple thought had brought the worst upon them, Killian hurtled forward, gasping. Emma’s eyes widened and she jumped onto his lap, gripping his shoulder.

“Killian!!” she yelled, shaking his shoulders.

His answer was a deep scream, taking Emma aback while he emptied his lungs all over again. His voice broke without delay, leaving Killian with less ability to ease the pressure he was feeling inside his skull. And bloody hell, did it hurt. It kept growing, the voices screaming louder, the pressure increasing until Killian thought his head was about to explode. Every time he tried to open his eyes, his vision shook, everything he saw was in double, and his head throbbed even more with the spinning and unstable vision. But he remembered forcing himself to look at Emma, begging for her to stop it, to release him from the voices. Her lips were moving but he couldn’t make out what she was saying to him. His head rattled with each pulsation of his heart and Killian didn’t know how he was still conscious at this rate. Emma turned white the moment she saw thick, dark blood leaking from his nose, quickly followed by his ears. She had to do something. She tried to reach him one last time but he didn’t answer her, still trying to compress his head between his hand and stump. 

Instinctively, Emma pushed Killian’s arms aside and blocked his head between her hands, closing her eyes and letting her magic free. She kept doing that until Killian stopped screaming and she felt his shaking hand grabbing her wrist. She opened her eyes and let go of a distorted laugh when she saw him smiling at her, finally telling her she had done it. She watched as he brought her knuckle to his lips, then she waved her other hand, erasing the hug-traces of blood on his face and neck. When she was sure he was okay, Emma shuddered and let her head fall against his chest, her hand coming to rest over his heart and taking comfort in the steady beat. They stayed still, hugging each other for what felt like hours. Killian smiled against her golden hair, holding his breath before blowing it out very slowly, letting go of all the tension he’d just held back before Emma had healed him. Feeling better, he lifted his face, looking at the landscape in front of him, staring at it as if he was capturing every detail of the place in fear he would never see it again.

“Where are we, Killian?” Emma whispered the moment she realized he’d moved his head, turning her face a little so Killian could hear her without having to move from the comforting position.

“Well, it’s-it’s like...It feels like home, too,” he whispered back, his true feelings staying stuck inside his throat. 

He couldn’t let her know how much the place was a home for him. How much the Hook’s Coven had become part of his family. Couldn’t let her know there was more than just him and Rogers. Emma gazed up at him before nodding against his chest, moving a bit so she could be looking at the place as well.

“Killian…”

“I know.” He sighed before trying to move. “It’s time.”

Emma helped him get to his feet and let him lead them to a more comfortable place to do what had to be done. They walked a bit toward the house, stopping where the tall ochre grass gave way to the shorter, softer green lawn. After getting rid of his shirt that was falling into shreds, Killian lay down on his back, getting as comfortable as he could before closing his eyes, while Emma knelt a meter away and concentrated on the magical spell she was about to use to heal him. But quickly, the peaceful ambiance around them was broken by wracking sobs. Emma cracked open an eye to see Killian, who was trying hard to keep his composure and lie still while tears were escaping his closed eyes and flowing down his cheeks. 

“Hey...Everything’s gonna be alright, ‘kay, Killian?” she hummed, resting her hand on his arm.

“I- I just-” sobbed Killian, taking big gulps of air between each word. “I just- I - I don’t- I don’t wanna die!” He broke down then bit his lip as fear crashed over him.

Emma’s eyes watered at his revelation and it took everything she had to hold her tears at bay and stay focused on her task. Killian rarely cries. Even less when she’s next to him, no matter how much she had told him she was here for him, that he didn’t have to keep it all to himself anymore. Still, she could count on one hand the number of times he had truly allowed himself to break in front of her. And every time, she’d been strong for him. And she was going to be strong right now and fight until he was completely healed and they could go home. She swore it to herself.

“I won’t let you,” she choked out, her emotions making it difficult to speak. But thankfully, she saw him quickly nod several times, his eyes open, already red. A sharp contrast to the lucid blue of his irises.

“Alright, let’s do this, babe,” she breathed. She squeezed his hand and left a kiss on top before moving back a bit, flexing her wrists and fingers. 

She waited two more seconds, wanting to be sure Killian was ready as well before she extended her hands in front of her, her palms directed toward him. She closed her eyes and focused on her emotions, feeling the familiar warmth coming from her belly, through her chest, flowing down her arms and gathering into her palms. _Free him from his pain, from the voices, from the curse_ , Emma repeated several times before truly letting go of her magic. 

The first beam of Emma’s magic made contact with Killian and struck him right in his chest, bringing him back to the present. Blinking several times as he inhaled through his nose, Killian remembered losing control the moment he had laid down on the lawn, the panic that had quickly drowned him. Though he had felt Emma comforting him even if he wasn’t actually present in his body. Killian chuckled in his head; he should be used to being kicked out since the day he’d been trapped in that cave and attached to… Killian frowned as he realized the importance of what he was remembering, the rest of it slowly resurfacing in his memory: how could he have forgotten about how this whole mess had started? 

His current worries returned to the back of his mind as acute pain rolled through him, and he had to focus in order to stay conscious through it. 

Minutes passed and Killian was still in agony, his back slightly arching as the magic seemed to be searching inside his chest, tugging at him until it could find what it was looking for. Resolved to hold his screams for himself, Killian only allowed some moans to escape his closed mouth, partially choking until the magic seemed to have found its target. Something Killian couldn’t deny as he felt a part of him being torn apart. And he couldn’t just let go of it, in fear of losing everything else with it. His body instantly fought back, making the task for both Emma and him more complicated and more painful. A yelp escaped Killian’s mouth as his guard dropped, along with a stop in the continuous flood of magic.

“Killian? Killian, are you-” Emma asked, worried she’d done something wrong.

Killian whimpered, furiously shaking his head as tears flowed down again. “S-swan! D-don’t Stop!” 

With a quick nod, Emma went back to her task and Killian’s screams finally echoed between the trees of the forest around them. A white spark sprang free from his chest, leaving an angry red mark on his skin, after which Killian’s torso fell with a thud to the floor. Emma followed the light in the sky with her eyes while rushing to Killian’s side, putting both her hands on his shoulders and trying to rouse him. After several attempts, she ended up looking for his pulse, as he did not react to her first stimulus. Minutes later, Emma was reassured, knowing he was alive. It wasn’t perfect, though. Killian was in a state of shock, constantly gasping for air. But somehow, it was regular and it would have to do, _for now,_ Emma thought. All of his muscles started to spasm while Emma tried to roll her red jacket to make Killian a pillow. She quickly finished her handiwork and put the jacket beneath his head and neck to avoid unnecessary damage from the constant movement of his body. 

Once done, Emma lifted her gaze and realised she was alone in a place she couldn’t localize to anyone that could have come to help them. Killian wasn’t looking any better, and she feared to use her magic on him again with what had just happened minutes before. After all, _she_ did this. She was the cause of his current pain. With her brain functioning at top speed in order to find a solution under the pressure and the panic, Emma did not notice the previous spark coming down from the sky until it crashed on the ground a few meters in front of her. 

Emma jumped and bent over Killian, shielding his face as dust was blown in their direction. As soon as Emma heard a strong gasp coming from the impact site, she lifted her head, her back straight with her hand in front of her, ready to use her magic to defend them. Only, she was left with her jaw hanging at the view: a man dressed all in black was slowly standing from the ground. One of his hands, bejeweled with several black rings, was currently holding his head, the pale skin drowning in the ebony tuft of hair. As the guy raised a knee, using it to push himself up, the sun caught the metal on his left arm, making it shine. A _hook_. The man had a hook for left hand, and now that he was fully standing, Emma could only stare at his face. It was the same as the man who was convulsing under her. It was Killian. Killian, dressed exactly like when he was a DarkOne in Storybrooke. The two _forget-me-not_ irises only scaring her in her discovery, sending a chill down her spine. 

“Don’t move!” Emma yelled, her hand pulsing with her magic. 

How could _this_ have been inside _her_ Killian? Who was he? Could he be a DarkOne? _What the fuck was going on?_ Emma freaked out.

The man answered slowly, holding hand and hook in a gesture of peace as he dared to take one step toward her. “Emma...”

“How do you know my name? What do you want from us??” She put all the anger she could muster into her tone in hopes of hiding her unsure voice and rising anguish.

“Funny you say that; considering the fact that I was the one who brought you two here.” He chuckled lightly, his hand coming to scratch the back of his head, right behind his ear.

“Wait- WHAT?” Emma stood still, feeling like she’d just been thrown into a cold shower, her brain trying to understand what he’d just said, her eyes trying to believe what she was seeing. 

Could this man have been the one talking to her through Killian, at the hospital and right before they had ended up in the meadow? Or was this all just an act? What was she supposed to do? Time froze as Emma struggled under the tons of questions that needed an answer. She was suffocating under her current emotional state. She wasn’t in physical pain like Killian, but she wasn’t in good health, either. She just wanted to run away and scream. Scream out all the panic, the tension, the confusion, the pain and everything else that was accumulating inside her. She was sure she was going mad. All of _this_. That man, Killian writhing in pain under her, that fucking unbelievable place. It was more than she could take.

But for some reason, she remained sane. She was still sitting there, staring at the stranger in front of her. The stranger that brought her back to her senses as he answered her.

“As much as I’d love to answer all the questions you must have, we don’t have enough time, love. We need to finish the work so Killian can be fully free. All without adding more pain than necessary.” His tone was serious and his whole friendly demeanor changed and became cold and grave.

Right. Emma suddenly realized that she almost forgotten about her pirate.

Killian was still quivery under her, his eyes half opened while thick drool pooled inside his mouth, threatening to suffocate him. Emma gasped and tipped his body over so the liquid could escape his mouth. The other man-- _Hook_ , Emma guessed she could name him for now--joined them, looking at the situation, his hand hovering over Killian’s body. He grimaced.

“Time’s running out, Emma. I’m going to help you so we can free the others in one shot. Killian won’t cope much longer, given that only one of us put him in that state,” Hook declared, already moving two feet away.

“T-the others? I... Ho-how? “ Emma stammered. She was supposed to be used to these situations, thanks to Storybrooke nonsense, but it was all too damn much.

“It’s a tale for another time, I’m afraid!” He grinned, cut his hand deeply with his hook, and knelt down.

Emma winced at the action, her hand still anchored on Killian. Hook stared at her, raising one of his eyebrows, and she realized she was supposed to be somewhere else, doing something far more important than staring at the two Killians under and in front of her. She shook her head and slowly put Killian down, making sure his mouth was empty first, then walked back to her initial spot.

“Good girl,” Hook laughed, earning himself an eye roll from Emma. 

_She’ll be fine,_ Hook thought. He couldn’t hide the fact that he’d been scared when he first saw her panicked and shocked--not that his apparition would have made the situation better---but she wasn’t looking good at all, not handling Killian as best as she could, _should_ have from the moment he’d been freed from Killian’s mind.

“Now, I need you to keep doing what you were doing with your magic, Emma. I’ll help with mine so you can free the five others all at once. But whatever happens, never stop unless I command you to, is that clear?” 

“Y-yes…” she mumbled, a chill running down her spine at the order, and she didn’t bother to react to the new details. Though her brain still raised the questions. Five others. But who? How could Killian have so many... _persons?!?_ inside him? How the hell had it happened in the first place?

“Perfect. Then at my signal, free your magic.” Hook nodded in her direction.

Emma nodded as well and watched Hook’s ritual with attention, resting her mind for a moment now that she wasn’t alone to deal with Killian’s curse. Although, was it really a curse after all? She blinked away the new concern and focused back on Hook. He had closed his eyes and started to speak in a foreign language, though Emma was sure it was the incantation of whatever spell he was about to use. As he was speaking, Emma realized she wasn’t used to seeing Killian wielding magic. Even if it wasn’t really her Killian, it felt strange and kind of attractive... _Damn it_. She really needed to stop doing that. 

Her inside monologue was cut short when Hook slammed his hand on the floor, opening his eyes and staring at the ground. Screeching soon started to emanate from the floor as the same black tendrils that had enveloped Killian earlier started to grow from the earth all around Hook. It only raised over the grassa few centimeters, but it was enough to frighten Emma. The man was mastering his dark magic to perfection, and Emma realized that her previous assumption about his true nature was correct. On the premise that Hook was really a person on his own, he _was_ a Dark One. And with the knowledge she’d collected during her time as a DarkOne herself, Emma knew he must be one and not a useless host of the darkness. Swallowing down her fear, Emma mentally crossed her fingers and hoped that Hook was really here to help her with Killian and that it wasn’t another trick. 

She then looked up from Hook’s hand and frowned as she saw sparkles setting the lawn alight, tracing a distinct line in her direction. She started to move away, but Hook shook his head. Emma dared not move as the blood-colored lines started to create weird ancient patterns around Killian’s body, patterns she was almost sure she recognized from the cave. The sparkles then continued their path on their left, creating a complex drawing of figures and symbols that formed a circle before everything shined a bright red. 

“NOW!” Hook ordered, looking almost in a panic at Emma, who focused back on her job and quickly threw her hands in front of her, her magic jumping back on Killian.

Everything unfolded like earlier: the light magical beams dancing over Killian’s body, searching for their aim, slowly gathering around his chest and head. And as before, Killian started to moan and whimper. Only it escalated much faster and Emma didn’t know how long she could listen to her True Love being hurt by her magic, by her own hands. Rationally, she knew it was the curse on him that was causing most of the pain, but Emma couldn’t lay the fault on the curse only. All because she had listened to a Dark One version of Killian. How could she even have trusted him? She’d been doing things the wrong way, and now, as she doubted her decisions, her magic started to fade, only to make Killian’s screams louder.

“Emma! Come on! You need to focus ! You’re going to _KILL_ him!” Hook’s hand was still on the floor, but hell, he wished he could have stood up and shook her with it. He didn’t know what was happening inside that little head of hers, but it was ruining his plans. 

“How-How can I trust you?” she bit back. How could she simply swallow his sweet talking?

“You can’t; you’re right. But believe me, love, when I say you need to steady that bloody magic of yours or Killian will die! And none of us want that to happen!” he politely growled back, trying to avoid sounding too selfish.

Emma looked lost for a few more seconds. Her ears were buzzing, blacking out all the sounds around her, her rapid heartbeat echoing inside her skull. She needed to make a choice... and she wouldn’t have another chance. Killian’s broken voice reached her hearing and it was settled. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and focused back on her magic. The light coming out of her hands grew brighter and the blood-like runes under Killian and those on her left began to shine. Emma gasped, feeling her strength being sucked by the spell.

“Emma, hold on!” Hook encouraged her, feeling the magic sucking at his strength, as well.

Through gritted teeth, Emma spread her fingers, allowing more of her magic out. Killian’s body began to raise in the air, floating as the first new spark came out of his chest. In a flash of light, it ripped itself free, but instead of flying away, it was attracted directly into the second circle drawn on the grass. Without knowing it, Emma had just saved another version of Killian, its incorporeal form finally free from its receptacle, waiting to be rematerialized. 

Hook smiled as he followed the small star with his eyes. But it was too soon to be happy. Their job wasn’t over yet. Two new sparks quickly flew from Killian, leaving his whole chest red. A Killian who had stopped making noise, only whispered pleas coming from his throat every time the air left his lungs. His eyes had rolled back in their sockets, the white stained by red filaments. Hook had been focusing so much on Killian and getting the others out of him that he did not notice Emma’s distressed state becoming too intense to allow her to complete her task.

Her whole body was shaking, her cheeks dampened with tears as she stared at Killian’s face with pure horror. Emma could barely breathe. She was suffocating under the fear and anguish of the sight of her husband in front of her eyes. It was nothing like the healing she was used to performing. This, this was torture she was doing to him and it didn't seem to be doing good. Emma felt her heart shatter a little bit more each time Killian convulsed, each time another light was ripped off his body, leaving his chest a bloody mess. In addition to his disastrous state, each time a tiny spark was freed, it took with it a bit more of her strength. She had lost count of the number of sparks they’d freed. She was much too exhausted and she knew she couldn’t continue like this. She would be empty in two more shots or less, and it would all have been for nothing if what Hook had said was true. She would be out of energy and magic and Killian would die because she wasn’t strong enough.

“Come on, love! Just two more left!” pleaded Hook. 

But Emma shook her head. He had to think of something else, and fast. She was the key. Only she could save them. He was only here helping. Doing one by one would have killed Killian. But doing it all together was about to kill them _both_. 

“Love, you can do this! I have faith in you, Emma Swan!” 

The corner of her lips twitched up at his words, but it wouldn’t be enough. She would need more help. However, Hook was not sure whether to do what he had in mind or not. He could help her with his magic, boost hers a bit so she could last until the end. It wasn’t complicated in theory. But he feared the repercussions it could have on her. Dark and Light magic weren’t meant to mix well. Or perhaps they could. Hook snapped his eyes shut, focusing on his magic, his healing power. Giving away a bit wouldn’t weaken him, and it shouldn’t destabilize Emma too much. He had to try. It was his only solution right now, anyway. Slowly looking back at her, Hook waved his hook in her direction and a thin wave of greyish light floated to her, swirling around her arms, mixing with her light magic.

Emma’s eyes widened at the sudden change, welcoming the addition of strength and magic- Magic!? Her gaze flickered in Hook’s direction, but she quickly focused back on her hard task. With the renewed energy, she felt a little more confident and, well, perhaps she would be able to make it if she believed in herself.

As the last spark sprang out from Killian, light came out of his open mouth and eyes before it disappeared and his dead body fell abruptly onto the floor. All the runes around him slowly faded, leaving Emma paralysed in front of Killian’s immobile body, trying to swallow what had just happened. Hook slowly walked behind her, not saying a word. He then put his hand on Emma’s shoulder, drawing her attention.

“You did it, love. It’s over...I, I’m going to take care of my mates while you take care of Killian, alright? I’ll be back in a flash.” Hook kept his voice at a whisper, not wanting to startle her too much, making sure to give her a bright smile along with one boost to her magic as his first try had been a success.

Emma blinked, watching Hook run to the shining circle on her left. It was just a few feet away from her, but she felt as if they were miles away. Sniffing, she slowly turned her head and looked at Killian’s motionless body. Flashes of the same still form in her arms invaded her mind and she shivered hard. It couldn’t be the same. It wouldn’t be. But when Emma looked down at her shaking hands, she sobbed and closed her eyes. She shook them, willing her magic to work again. But her skin was burning and she was emotionally and physically drained. All she wanted was to lie down next to Killian and let the darkness take her. But she was dying to be able to heal Killian, to see his blue eyes again; she wanted to see him smiling at her, giving her all his love. She wanted all of this and more. But right now Killian was lying on the burned grass, his chest bleeding, his eyes closed, his face expressionless. Hopeless. 

Yet she wanted him to come back to her. And the more she wanted, the more she could feel her hands humming with magic. Emma’s eyes snapped open: her hands were outlined in a magical glow. A smile spread across her face and she moved next to Killian in haste, putting one hand on his chest above his heart and the other on his forehead. She focused on him, and when she felt like everything around them had completely disappeared, she let the happiness and love fill her, then fill Killian. Once her magic stopped, she looked at Killian, waiting for a sign. Anything. His lips parted as he took a light inspiration. His tense face relaxed immediately and Emma laughed, bringing her lips to his forehead, staying there for a long minute.

It was over. And Killian would be okay.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You’re still alive? Good! You’ll just have to cross fingers the rest of the Joneses will. Because We’re reaching the end of the journey but stuff can still happens in 4 chapters...

Once DarkHook had made sure Emma would have enough magic to heal Killian, he quickly jogged to the remaining light circle, hoping she would be alright on her own. Honestly, he would have preferred to stay by her side and be sure Killian was out of danger himself, but alas, the rest of the coven needed him more. The runes were keeping them stable, but it wouldn’t be long until it faded away like the one under Killian, and with it, the loss of the others.

“Alright mates, let’s get you home too,” whispered DarkHook, rolling up his sleeves and readying himself.

Focusing on his magic, DarkHook lifted his arms and reached toward the circle, which lit up at the magical presence. But quickly he had to rely on all the power the darkness was conferring on him in order to reverse what had been done to the others. And the spell was far from easy. Converting their bodies and souls into the sparks shining in front of DarkHook had been simple for their captors, even if they didn’t have magic themselves, but doing it the other way around was nothing alike. Barely a minute had passed since Hook had first used his magic and his stance was already being affected by the colossal energy coming from the circle, forcing him to put a foot behind him in order to stay still, his jaw clenched as he fought the power emanating from the five sparks in front of him. While his arms started to shiver from exhaustion, his irises and pupils merged to become one black spot as Hook used his full power, willing his feet to anchor into the floor. But all his good will and magic didn’t seem to have much effect: the only change that had occurred in his mates’ state was that the tiny sparks had taken vaguely human shapes, but nothing else. And it was getting harder to keep the flow of magic steady.

Minutes passed by and DarkHook was now squeezing his eyes as the light pulsing from the circle became too bright, the energy pushing him, his hair and the surrounding grass fluttering wildly. His jaws pressed against one another, making his teeth screech under the constant pressure. DarkHook released a pained growl as the light formed a solid dome against his hook and palm, the heat quickly burning his skin and, soon, the thin muscles underneath, turning the silver hook white. Feeling his feet slipping on the muddy floor, DarkHook’s heart pounded in his chest as he hoped that whatever was coming next would release his friends.

_“Mates! Look!”_

_“Is it…”_

_“Haha! We’re home, guys! We made it!_ ”

The sudden burst of light blinded DarkHook, forcing him to look away with his eyes closed while a powerful wave of energy cast him backward a good meter. With his left arm still protecting his face, DarkHook was taken by surprise as someone rushed against him, encircling his waist but somehow helping him stay upright on his trembling legs.

“POPA!!!” cried young Killian, rubbing his head against DarkHook’s middle.

DarkHook opened his eyes and was welcomed by a warm sensation and pickles in his eyes as he dared to hug the little boy back. Then he felt all his power shut down and his smile grow tired as his body started to shiver.

“Mmmh! You’re heavy, Pop’!” Killian growled adorably, trying to push DarkHook’s body back, but he was, indeed, too heavy for his frail arms.

Seeing that the lad was about to fall under his father figure’s body, Rogers quickly jogged to them, grabbing the man by the shoulders and sliding himself under Hook’s left side in a swift and agile movement. This gave the lad enough time to free himself and walk with them toward the others.

“Always got my back, don’t you?” DarkHook teased the detective breathlessly.

But the Dark One’s faux-casual attitude didn’t fool anyone. It was clear that the man was shaking from head to toe, and his ragged breathing wasn’t helping.

“You sure you’ll be okay, Killian?” Rogers asked. Worried by the man’s attitude, he squeezed his friend’s side with his free hand in fear that he would fall unconscious the next second.

DarkHook took a deep breath and chuckled feebly. “Aye… I’ll be fine in no time. This’s just a few scratches!” He could already feel his legs getting stronger beneath him, and his magic was slowly but surely healing his wounded hand.

The three stopped as the others met them halfway, all with messy hair, their clothes more or less damaged by the different spells that had been cast upon them. But they all looked fine and alive, wearing smiles on their faces as they enjoyed the feeling of being home all together again. While they were thanking DarkHook, Lieutenant Jones looked around them with a frown, searching for the missing Jones of the coven and ending on the blonde figure crouched over a body a few meters behind DarkHook and Rogers.

“Mate? Who is that person over there?” he asked, walking outside their little group in order to have a better view of the probable outsider. Rogers turned himself and Hook, then whispered,

“Emma!”

“Be gentle...She had a hell of a journey, too...” DarkHook added as all of the coven slowly started to move toward Emma and Killian.

Minutes flew by and Emma was still resting her forehead against Killian’s, lulled by his now-deep breaths, in and out. Then part of her brain started to wonder what had happened to the Hook guy. Was he still here? Had he freed the much-vaunted “five others”? Who were they? As much as she liked her brain taking care of the present matter, Emma was mostly focused on relaxing herself by Killian’s side, only caring about him and his recovery. But her quiet moment ended as she soon felt a presence next to her, as if it was waiting for her to acknowledge it. Secretly kissing Killian one last time, Emma lifted her head, pushing away the golden locks from her forehead, only to feel like she'd been slapped right in the face. She must be dreaming, she thought, but when her gaze stopped on the Hook dude, she knew what was in front of her wasn’t just an illusion. The fact struck her once again: there in front of her--surrounding her, actually-- were six men. Her eyes stopped on each of them in turn and she let go of a pronounced, “ _Oh. My. God,_ ” as she realized they all had the same fucking blue eyes and probably the same small scar on their right cheek. She looked back at Hook to realize Detective Rogers was by his side, still holding Hook close against himself.

“What the _fuck_ are you doing here??” Emma asked in a high-pitched and shocked voice.

He smiled at her, looking down at his feet, the strong blush covering his face and ears showing his embarrassment. _But what did this mean??_ Emma panicked as she continued to stare at the others. The lad was the next to catch her attention, looking strangely familiar and, damn, he was really adorable with that cat. Emma blinked: the cat was all black, the tip of his left paw white, and he wore a blue collar around his neck, matching the blue irises of the little human who was holding him. That’s when she realized there was also a tiny man on its back, smiling at her and looking very much like her pirate. Emma stared at them, her mouth open, before she shook herself, looking up at the rest of them. Her brain made the connection on its own and she was sure the old man looked exactly like the Wish version of Killian, but wasn’t that Rogers? Next to that grandpa, standing straight and tall, was a younger man, looking as clean as he could even in the terrible state they were all in. A buddy that could very well have been Killian during his naval years, from what she remembered of the night he had told her about that time in detail. And wait, was that the deckhand being all sweet and shy at the back? But how could that be? She’d seen him die right in front of her in the Alternative Universe...he couldn’t be here...Not one of them, actually.

“Emma? You alright there?” asked Rogers suddenly, making her jump out of her stupor.

“ I… I, well honestly, I don’t know what I am…” she mumbled. Her heart was thumping inside her chest as she realized the fact that most of them had a hook, which only meant one thing.

“Well then, let’s make it simple,” Old Hook started, stepping forward. “We’d like to thank you, lass. For helping to free us all.” He looked at all his siblings in turn before bowing his head a little in her direction.

Quickly, they all followed the elder and voiced their gratefulness and thanks from the bottom of their hearts, smiling at her. And all Emma could muster was an awkward grin. She didn’t know what to say, what to do, what to think.

“I….umh I, well y-you’re welcome; I-I guess?” she answered shyly, not knowing what else to do.

She had done everything to save Killian, technically, but well, she couldn’t be sorry if it had saved them along the way. But the more she tried to understand what was happening, the more she started to become curious, and hot questions were burning the tip of her tongue. Only, she wasn’t fast enough to ask anything else before _Hook_ spoke again.

“We will always be grateful for what you’ve done. You own our lives, Emma Swan….and so, I’m truly sorry,” DarkHook apologized, a sad smile on his lips.

“Sorry? I- what for? You d-”

But before she knew it, DarkHook was in front of her, blowing a powerful forgetting potion onto her face, cutting her sentence short. He then quickly put her under a sleeping spell, making sure she’d lie down carefully next to Killian's still-unconscious body. Kneeling next to her, he looked at the two of them peacefully sleeping.

“I’m sorry for this, Emma...but you cannot know of our existence, for our own good,” DarkHook whispered “Nobody should. But I promise you, we’ll take care of Killian here.” He smiled as Emma moved closer to Killian, even in her sleep. “Whenever he tells you he’s out with some “ _friends of Rogers,_ ” know that he’ll be safe. You don’t have to worry anymore.” He chuckled but made sure to keep his tone sincere as he gave her his word for Killian’s safety inside the Coven.

With a flick of his hand, burgundy smoke enveloped the two lovers and the Coven was left with the rest of its true owners. However, DarkHook still needed to make sure that everyone that was involved in Killian’s magical problem at the hospital would have the same version of the event. So the Dark One dismissed the rest of the Hooks, asking them to go take care of themselves while he dealt with the rest on his end.

“Mate, you just went through as much as us, if not more. You’re coming with us, too.” Old Hook stopped to argue with DarkHook while the first part of the group started heading home.

“I will, old man. Now go get clean and rest; I’ll be quick.”

Old Hook was about to argue again, but Rogers, who had stayed nearby, came to put a hand on his shoulder. The detective knew DarkHook had an idea that he wasn’t about to let go of just because Old Hook asked. They exchanged quick words before the old man playfully pushed Rogers backward while he took the path toward the mansion, leaving Rogers to remain close to DarkHook, who looked at the detective desperately: that one wasn’t going to move a inch….

“You sure you won’t need assistance back there? I can help, give you some distraction while you deal with some of them!” Rogers offered, only wanting to be helpful since he was no stranger to Storybrooke.

“Thanks, mate, but it’s all good. I can handle it,” he answered, the eyebrow signature of Killian on his face.

Rogers huffed at the illusion before rolling his eyes. The next second, he had his arms wrapped around DarkHook, hugging him and thanking him for everything he’d done. DarkHook couldn’t muster the strength to fight against the man, letting him be too adorable, as always, when it comes to him. He wouldn’t admit they shared anything, but their bond inside the coven was special. Patting his back, DarkHook broke free from the cute detective hug and used his magic to transport himself back to the hospital where he had sent Emma and Killian. He slowly made his way inside, using a glamour spell in order to remain invisible.

Every available nurse was running down the hall while a few doctors assisted the Whale one with his two unconscious patients. Emma was still sleeping and she would remain the same until the next sunrise. Lucky for Hook, her father was also back at the hospital, reducing his field of action. With a smirk, DarkHook used his magic to freeze everyone, giving him enough time to change their memories into more plausible ones. Memories that wouldn’t contain any trace of the Coven or magical issues. Once satisfied with his hard work, DarkHook exited the building, lifting the freezing spell after he was outside and leaving the hospital to go back to its usual routine, unaware of the truth and traumatic experience behind one of its patients.

And so, the Coven and all the Hooks remained hidden from the rest of the world.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorty chapter but after all the emotion our heroes had, it was time for a short break before things get tense once again...

When Killian could finally open his eyes, he was met with the same white wall. Same annoying beeping echoing inside the room, seeping into his skull. Same antiseptic smell mixed with ether, same coldness, same cumbersome wires around his arms and glued to his chest, same… Killian froze in his bed, holding his breath, realizing where he was and what it meant: had everything just been a dream? Was he still trapped in that bloody hospital room with all the voices inside his head? Was the cloaked guy lurking somewhere, waiting for a good opportunity to torment him over again? Panic quickly rose inside his chest as his brain weighed each and every possibility, making it difficult to breathe even with the help of the tube under his nose. Machines around him started to go into a panic, until Killian’s attention was caught by a distinct cough. Snapping his head to the opposite side in anguish with such force that he was sure he’d be in pain for a few days, Killian gasped through clenched teeth as his terrorised eyes scanned the man coming to stand at the end of his bed, looking barely concerned by Killian’s panicked state. The man in head-to-toe black stood still, staring back at him and frowning as he saw the pirate trying to control his wild emotions, his nostrils widening with each breath. He then tilted his head as if asking him what was going on. Taking a big shaky breath, Killian tried to regain some composure before swallowing down his fear.

“D-DarkHook?” Killian croaked, insecure, hoping he would be right for once.

The man stared at him before cracking a giant grin, letting out a low chuckle as he came to rest his hand and hook on the barrier of the medical bed.

“Thought I accidentally cast the forgetting spell on you, Jones! You should have seen your face!” Hook laughed, shaking his head, while Killian was still trying to decide whether to be offended or shocked by the remark of his friend. He had never really liked DarkHook’s sense of humor…

“So! What do you say, mate?”

Killian continued to stare at DarkHook, his mouth half open. Blood rushed back to his brain, and finally, he seemed to be able to function normally again.

“You really are an asshole, you know that, _mate_?” Killian scoffed at the Dark One, not believing how the man had welcomed him back while he was on the verge of having another bloody anxiety attack. But the bright side of the situation was that Killian was now sure everything hadn’t been just a dream. Emma did heal him inside the coven, and by doing so, had saved the rest of the Hooks. Their curse was over. Though Killian still asked,

“Why am I here? I- If everything is back to normal, shouldn’t we all be free and off to live our lives now?”

“Afraid it’s not that simple...She saw us,” DarkHook coldly answered, knowing deep down that he would have preferred if they could have found another option than the present one. “Emma saw us. And with the previous days being nothing but hell for us and some of your friends, giving them an alternative version of what really happened without drastic measures was the best choice. I’m sure you can understand that, Jones.”

“Aye, ‘makes sense…” Killian sighed, looking down at his battered body. He didn’t look very good, now that he was taking a good look at himself. And knowing Emma, half of her family would have asked for news about his state.

“Where is she?” Killian suddenly asked, his shining gaze reaching his friend. “Did you- did you see Emma? Is she okay?”

“Aye. Don’t worry; she’s fine. Just a bit tired from all the magic she used to break the spell. Unlike you, who should seriously just relax and rest until you’re back to full strength!”

DarkHook chuckled, coming closer to pat his friend’s shoulder. “I should go, though...it won’t take long before they come check on you…”

“I- yeah. You’re probably right…” Killian smiled, despite feeling drained all at once. Sleep was looking more and more appealing.

“‘Course I am!” DarkHook bit back playfully. “Now rest, Killian; take all the time you need before-”

Killian gazed up with tired eyes at his friend, who had turned his face away from him, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed down his emotions. Killian could tell his friend was trying to hide something from him, but he couldn’t think of what it could be. _Everything should be fine, shouldn’t it?_

“...before, you know, you come back to the coven. If...if ever you wished to,” Hook finished, faking a smile while the guilt for all the pain he and the others had caused Jones weighed on his shoulders.

Before Killian could say another word or ask one of his burning questions, DarkHook waved his friend goodbye and disappeared in the familiar burgundy smoke, leaving Jones to surrender to the call of sleep.

The next day, Killian was met with the sweet scent of a fresh bunch of flowers at his bedside. Once his eyes were fully open, a smile quickly grew on his face as he recognized the rare species. There was only one person in Storybrooke who knew where to get them, and it was none other than his beautiful Swan. Killian tried to lift his head in order to search for her, but pain shot down his neck and he had to close his eyes, taking in a sharp breath as he felt as though he would fall over, if he weren't already lying down. But someone had run to his side and placed a hand under his head for support before helping him rest into a half-sitting position. Then the person gently brushed some of his hair away from his face. Once the throbbing pain settled, Killian cracked his eyes open and was more than happy to come face to face with Emma. She was beaming, her free hand stroking his cheek, and Killian felt all his tension and worries melt away, and his body was invaded by pins and needles before a warm sensation smoothed it away. Awkwardly, Killian tried to reach Emma’s face with his hand, but the different wires quickly stopped his movement. Emma laughed and reached down for his hand, their gaze still locked together.

“Gosh...I’m so relieved that you’re okay,” she sobbed but kept smiling at him. “I was so worried for you, Killian.”

“I-” Killian surprised himself with how deep his voice sounded and coughed before continuing, “I love you, Swan. But remember? Survivor.” He chuckled, though he wasn’t believing in his catchphrase as much as he usually had in the past. He wasn’t that ready to die again. And potentially for good this time...

“Yeah. Sure, buddy!” Emma snorted, not being fooled by it, either.

A silence slowly fell in place between them, but it wasn’t unpleasant. They looked at the open window with their hands joined, absentmindedly stroking the other. But Killian was becoming too curious to know what the hell DarkHook had done to their memories without making any _faux pas_ on his behalf.

“Swan? I- what, what happened, exactly? I, I don’t remember much, everything is still fuzzy…” He watched her face as she took a deep breath, her own gaze still focused on the window.

“Well, it... It wasn’t what you would call pretty...It had been two days since you had left and still weren’t back. We looked for you for days...then we managed to find your trail at the entrance of a dark cave. That’s, that’s where my dad found you, and you were badly hurt, covered with blood and unconscious and I…” She stopped her story, tears gathering in her eyes while Killian desperately wanted to hold her close to him. “I-I felt so guilty, too. Not having found you earlier… Things could have turned out better if I had. It’s-it’s all my fault; I’m …” she choked, shaking her head as guilt drowned her.

Killian tightened his grip around her hand. “Don’t, Swan,” he interjected. “Don’t. None of this is your fault. If I hadn’t left in the first place, nothing would have happened…” Killian knew Emma wasn’t finished, yet his anger was boiling inside his blood. Somehow, DarkHook had made things worse, and he hated to see his love thinking it was all her fault when _she_ was the one who had saved him. Saved them all.

“Still... We brought you back here, and Whale told us you must have hit your head pretty hard, leading to strong if not lethal consequences on your mental health... But Victor managed to stabilize you and, well, now in just a week you’ll be out, so that’s all that matters!” Emma finally looked back at him with a smile tugging at her lips. She squeezed his hand back and leaned in to kiss him gently.

“Aye, Swan. And I can’t wait to be allowed out of this blasted place,” he said with a lifted eyebrow, earning himself an eye roll with another kiss before their moment was ended by nurses.

Moaning against Emma’s lips, Killian took a deep breath and looked one last time at his Swan, biting his tongue while all his blood pulsed down south. It was going to be a bloody long week.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I'm getting emo at the fact there's only 2 chapters left!! It was so fast yet it's been such a long time since the start of that fic!  
> Thank you all for staying and I hope you'll like that one! I really enjoyed writing the part with Killian and Archie so I hope I did good ^^'

Three days had passed, and Killian was still trapped in the tiny, horribly uncomfortable hospital bed. All because Dr. bloody Whale insisted that he stay for further exams. Hell, Killian knew he was fine; he knew Emma had made sure of it! But no. He was stuck inside his damn room until Whale decided there was no more trace of repercussion on his heath from his misadventure inside the cave. Killian really tried to behave for the duration of his stay in the hospital, but it was starting to be impossible, and if it weren’t for Emma’s daily visit, he would have at least attempted to escape the damn place and give Whale his right hook.

The clock chimed five o’clock, the time when Emma usually arrived and saved him from the monotony of the afternoon (so far, his mornings had been filled with tons of useless tests and questionnaires) but today, she wasn’t here, and Killian quickly started to feel uneasy.

If his health wasn’t showing any problem or dysfunction, he couldn’t say the same for his stress level. And of course, to make things worse, working on his anxiety was going to be hard in a town like theirs. Storybrooke wasn’t really what you could call a peaceful town. The United Realms hadn’t helped to make it that way, either; there was always something going on in town, whether bad or good. So in a way, staying at the hospital was supposed to be beneficial for him; there shouldn’t be things to worry him. Except for the fact that Emma was out there and was starting to be really late and Killian couldn’t help but start to think something had happened to her...

“Sorry, babe! Had to drive back from the Heights!” Emma abruptly opened the door before apologizing, tossing aside her belongings and coming to kiss her startled husband.

“Th-the Heights? W-what the hell were you doing back there?”

“Rogers needed some backup for their current case. Something about a gang kidnapping a group of people. I can’t help but feel relieved to know you’re safe here after what happened!”

While Emma was smiling at the almost-funny situation, Killian became as white as a sail the moment she had talked about the gang. _If she only knew what had truly happened_ …

“Killian? You alright? Did I say something-” she asked, worried when she realized he still hadn’t talked.

“I- No no no. Of course not, love. Just, me, thinking that….” he trailed off. Emma stared at him. “-That we were lucky indeed!” He smiled, hoping she wouldn’t push for more details.

“Aye, well, they almost caught them. So it will be over soon! How was your day? Wait, don’t tell me. Just as ‘ _bloody boring_ ’ as usual?” she teased him by trying to impersonate his accent, earning a hard stare before he smiled back at her.

“Aye love, just like that. Isn’t it possible to, you know, accelerate the process a bit? Because. Emma, I swear I’m fine, though I would fear for my sanity now. Wouldn’t want you to have a broken pirate at home.”

“It would be terrible, wouldn’t it?” she scoffed before shaking her head and chuckling. “Sadly, I don’t think Victor’s gonna change his mind, but I’ll talk to him later if it makes your sanity feel better.”

Silence settled over them while Emma answered her phone, leaving Killian looking at what she brought him today: a new book to keep him company, some stuff to eat other than the tasteless food they were serving him and, apparently, food for two, which meant Emma was planning to stay later tonight. Killian couldn’t be happier about the surprise.

“Sorry, it was Rogers. Wanted to know how you were, saying hello to you.” She smiled, coming to sit next to Killian, who kissed her on the cheek for bringing all that he needed to survive during the remaining days here.

“Nice of him, though why hasn’t he come? It’s not like I was busy or suffering from the plague…” he said sarcastically.

“Hey, be nice, would you? He’s had important business to attend to recently.“

“Huff, _business_ my ass….” he muttered under his breath, only receiving a small slap behind his head in response.

The rest of their evening went as usual, just the two of them cuddling after the nurse came to check in for the night. He left them to enjoy the nice dinner Emma had brought, after which they just snuggled back into the small bed. However, Emma decided to stay for the night and ended up using her magic to widen the bed for two, much to Killian’s contentment.

After that day, the end of the week passed in the blink of an eye, with visits from David and Snow, who came twice to see him. Surprisingly, Alice and Robyn came to say hi as well, as they were babysitting little Hope, who gave them a full afternoon of smiles and giggles as she was with her father again. But never did Rogers come. Always had an excuse, and it bothered Killian more than he would have liked.

In a way, he felt betrayed by the detective’s attitude; by the rest of his second family, to be fair. Not a word, not a single sign from the coven in order to ask how he was or anything. The bitter thought was chased away when Whale officially declared him free of the place, and he took the few belongings Emma had brought him and practically ran out of the building to the yellow bug where Emma was waiting. As soon as they arrived home, Killian didn’t waste a moment to show just how much he had missed his Swan. Fortunately for them, Hope was staying with her grandparents, giving them a free night to celebrate the “ _home sweet home_ ” of a certain pirate.

\-----

Thus, Killian Jones was back on track. Living his life with his family, working part-time at the police station for health reasons ( _and was restricted to paperwork, which was starting to annoy the hell out of him if you had asked_ ), resting at their home for the rest of the days, enjoying time with his daughter, helping Emma, and being eaten away by the bitterness of the betrayal by the coven but also growing guilt... They hadn’t reached out to him. Those duplicates of himself, those whom he considered as brothers, as his second family. _Zilch_. And yet, Killian felt guilty about putting so much anger on them, knowing full well that their realm was to remain secret and so they couldn’t just come say _‘Hi’_ without it having consequences... But Rogers could. DarkHook had done it at the hospital; surely he could do it again... All those gloomy thoughts started to rub off on his behavior, making Emma have doubts about his health, and it all led to one evening with he and Emma “having the talk.” Trying to convince him to share his current troubles, that she was here for him and, if needed, perhaps an appointment with Archie would be helpful.

So here he was today, nervously standing in front of the cricket’s office door. Killian had called the man, who had told him he was free between two appointments today and if he wanted to stop by, well, he was welcome to do so. But Killian didn’t know how he was supposed to formulate everything. Yes, his secrets were protected by the law and all that modern stuff that he was starting to get from his time working at the station in relation with Hyperion Heights. But he couldn’t just talk about the other Hooks living in a parallel dimension that was stuck between the United Realms like that. The simple thought of it was making his problem seem crazy and unbelievable. Perhaps all of this was a mistake. His moist hand hovered near the door one last second before falling against his side as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The same guilt decided to assault him right away and before he knew it, Killian heard footsteps getting closer to the door, which opened one second later, leaving Killian dumbfounded as he found himself facing an impasse.

“Oh-Killian!” greeted Dr. Hopper with a bright smile. “So you decided to come after all? Well, just give me five minutes and we can-”

“I, no, it’s-it’s alright, Dr. Hopper,” Killian burst out with a nervous smile, not knowing what to do. “I wasn’t sure if I really should come and I, I should go. I-I don’t think it’ll lead me anywhere anyway.”

“On the contrary, I think that talking with someone would do you good! And you know you can call me Archie, right?” The man smiled, patting Killian on the shoulder. “Just make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back!”

“I... Alright,” Killian awkwardly managed to answer, red all the way to the tips of his ears.

There had been a time when he would have laughed at himself about how soft he had gone.

Five minutes later, the psychiatrist was back, closing the door behind him before coming to sit on the chair next to the sofa where Killian had sat, his fingers fidgeting with his rings.

“Good! Well, what troubles you, Captain?” Hopper started, clapping his hands together.

“I...I don’t even know how to tell you that… It’s, it’s complicated…” Killian answered, his eyes barely meeting the cricket’s gaze, his knee jiggling. The tension rolled down his body.

Archie smiled at his patient. “Perhaps start with how you feel?” he suggested.

“I...Arff,” Killian huffed. He closed his eyes as he passed his hand over his face, hovering a bit around his chin. When he opened his eyes again, it was only to stare listlessly into the void. “Sadness, bitterness... Disappointment...perhaps a bit of anger.” He was finding it surprisingly easy to unburden himself. “Becoming more and more guilty...”

“Ah...and do you; do you know what could have caused all those emotions? Is it an action you took? Something that was said to you?”

“I, I don’t really know; it’s perhaps a bit of everything, Dr- mate…” Killian sighed and swallowed. How did he end up so deep in this mess? He shouldn’t have bottled everything up for so long. “Listen, I...I was with friends. Very close friends, and we, we were- we ran into a bit of trouble…” started Killian, weighing each of his words, careful not to let out anything precise that would worry Hopper. “It affected us all and in the end we all suffered badly from it and now-”

“Badly? Did, did someone get hurt or something? Have you told-” worried Archie quickly.

“No No No! Everything was fine, we’re all good, I’m good! There’s no need to fuss about that, _mate_.” Killian stopped, his anger rising a bit as he tensed on the couch, not wanting the discussion to go in that direction. He clenched his jaw a few times before carrying on with his story. “That’s-that’s not the bloody point! The point is, none of them have bloody reached out to me since that! I had been hurt just like the rest of them, if not more, and they never came back. And that’s not _fucking okay_!”

As soon as the last word left his mouth, Killian bit his tongue, cursing himself for having let his emotions get the best of him. There was no way the cricket was about to take everything as it was. The ginger-headed man stared at him, his mouth slightly open. He adjusted the glasses on his nose before nodding at Killian’s statement, then crossed his fingers together and rested his chin against them.

“As vague as your statement is, and despite the fact that something is telling me you’re not giving me the whole truth, it _is_ comprehensible that you came to feel that way. But, are you sure they really never tried to reach out?”

“Aye! They are- they can’t really do that, in a way. Or, at least, some of them can, and they haven’t, and I need to know _why_! But _clearly_ , you won’t know about that! It was a terrible mistake to ask for your help...I’m wasting time,” Killian spat. He had jumped out of his seat and was preparing to walk out, until Archie called out to him as he reached for the door handle.

“Have you ever considered that perhaps they might feel the same about you?”

There was a heavy silence before he continued his supposition.

“That, that it could be _why_ they never tried to reach you, as well?” proposed the therapist.

The final statement crashed over Killian and froze him on the spot. He had been, he _was_ so focused on his side of the story that he completely left out how _they_ could handle the situation back at the coven... The last thing he remembered was lying down on the grass while Emma used her magic to heal him, then it was just pain and darkness. After that, he’d opened his eyes and was back inside the hospital. But never did he know what had truly happened when he’d blacked out. Obviously, things went well, as DarkHook was out of his head and was off to the mansion again in order to keep protecting the truth. Rogers was back at the station, too, so if it had gone wrong, neither of them would have done any of this.

Then the pained face of DarkHook flashed before his eyes. He had been wondering what he was hiding from him that day before sleep had claimed him again. And he had never thought anything more about it, until now. Gosh, he was such an asshole, too. The bloody cricket might be right. It would make sense. It would explain why Rogers never came, why DarkHook never used his magic to spy on him. Why they just severed all contact with him. Why he couldn’t help but feel guilty toward them recently. Chuckling, Killian reached down for the knob and turned it, stopping for just a moment at the doorstep.

“Aye...perhaps you’re right,” Killian murmured, loud enough for Archie to hear him, before he closed the door behind himself and walked home with a new purpose in mind.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLLYCRAPPYSHIT. Only One, chapter left and I’m not prepared to stop posting new chapters :( Well, all good things must end one day so... A little soft and funny chapter before the conclusion of that adventure!  
> Got to thanks @thesschesthair for the fantastic idea of the voicemail ;)
> 
> On that, happy reading mates!

Emma was happy when Killian told her he had resolved his problem with the cricket’s help. Or at least, that he now knew what needed to be done in order to put everything behind him and start again. His part-time work prescription ended at the end of the week, leaving Killian just enough time to sort things out with the coven. But first, he needed to see Rogers and make sure everything would go smoothly if he showed up at the huge mansion the next day. Unfortunately, all the calls he had made to the detective ended up on his voicemail, leaving Killian uneasy.

“What the hell does this mean?” Killian asked himself while he tried yet another call. If they were feeling the same about him, like Archie had suggested, why on earth would he refuse to pick up his phone?

“ _Hello, you’ve reached Detective Rogers; I’m unable to take your call but if you please leave a message and a contact number, I’ll be sure to get back to you as soon as possible...No one uses voicemail anymore-TILLY!!_ ”

*BEEEEEEP*

“Bloody hell… Mate, it’s Killian again. I don’t know what’s happening or why you’re not answering your bloody phone but we need to talk. Now. So I’m on my way to your apartment, and I won’t leave until you’ve opened your door.” Killian groaned, quickly hanging up and calling Emma to let her know of his plan.

Hours later, the taxi finally entered Hyperion Heights and stopped at the detective’s home address. Killian took his time climbing the few steps, trying one last time to call the man, but again, ending up in the quite-unusual voicemail, to say the least. Once on the doormat, Killian politely knocked on the door and waited for the detective to open. As silence greeted him, Killian lifted his arm and checked the time. It was now past 7pm, and Rogers’ scheduled shift had been over for a good three hours if Hyperion Heights’ Police Station had been correct. Even if Rogers had wanted to do overtime hours, he would have been kicked out of the place by now. Sighing out loud, Killian focused his irritated gaze on the small silver name placard before pounding on the door.

“Rogers! I know you’re in there! Open your door!” He shouted, his face close to the door to make sure his voice would carry inside.

Silence. Killian growled and redoubled his pounding with his fist against the wooden surface.

“I won’t stop until you’ve let me inside, Jones! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR, MATE!” yelled Killian, making sure to emphasize each of his words.

Again, silence greeted him, and this time, Killian lost his temper and stepped away from the door. If he had to force his way inside, then he would. After all, he was from the police and, hell, he’d be sure to use his power to see the man. But before Killian could run toward the door, a giant crack echoed inside the apartment, followed by someone cursing loudly, pushing and drawing heavy objects across the floor before the sound of keys scraping against the lock reached Killian’s ears. Then a hell of a disheveled Rogers cracked the door open, closed it again in Killian’s face to unlock the rest of the padlocks, and abruptly pulled Killian by his shirt inside the apartment, quickly securing the exit once again.

“Rogers, what the-” Jones started to growl, only to be cut by the frantic detective.

“SHUT. UP!” hissed the detective before leaving Killian in the chaotic hallway.

Killian frowned, taking a moment to gather his senses while looking around him. Each window had its shutters closed, plunging the cozy apartment into near-darkness. Then Jones realized the main door was locked with a lot more padlocks than it used to be, and heavy furniture was gathered around it as if the detective had used them to barricade himself inside. Then Killian heard the man in question running from one room to another, typing on computers, answering radio calls, flipping through piles of documents and papers, cursing every time he couldn’t find what he was looking for fast enough. And all Jones could do was stare at the chaos unfolding around him. He had tried at some point to ask Rogers something, but the man had thrown him a death glare while pointing at him, and Killian knew better than to try his luck again.

Forty minutes later, Rogers stopped doing his back and forth and sat in the dark living room, staring at the radio on the coffee table in front of him, his hands clenching over and over again or passing through his hair or face, mumbling nonsense from time to time, staring at the clock on the opposite wall while his legs jumped nervously. Killian dared to kneel at the border of the blue carpet, anxiously looking at Rogers while asking himself what to do. Or at least he tried. He didn’t know what to say or think, to be honest.

Then the small radio crackled and Rogers suddenly inhaled, holding his breath until the voice at the other end of the device talked.

“ _Shark to Eagle....Targets down….I repeat. Targets down!....Wait for Sunny’s call...but path is clear. I repeat, path is clear...Mission Over._ ”

The living room was plunged once again into silence. Then, with shaky hands, Rogers took the radio and pushed on the side button before giving an answer.

“Eagle to Shark. Message received!” he announced with a tight voice. “Good job, guys. I’ll await the official call from Sunny. Return safe.”

The other man laughed at Rogers’ answer before the call was paused a few more seconds.

_“Copy. Shark, Over and Out!”_

This time, Rogers let himself chuckle before swapping the current frequency for a new one. Killian watched as the detective slid along the sofa and fell onto the floor, rolling onto his back and letting everything out. Killian was a bit taken aback by his strange behavior, but when he was sure the man wouldn’t hurt himself or anything stupid, he rose to his feet and walked to the kitchen, looking for something to drink. But the state of the room was just too disturbing to ignore. Quickly, Killian fumbled for his phone in order to call Emma and let her know of the weird behavior of their colleague. But then his attention was caught by Rogers, who had joined him in the kitchen, stumbling behind him, and before Killian knew it, the detective was hugging the hell out of him. Killian mechanically wrapped his arms around the man, his phone still clutched in his hand. He quickly felt Rogers’ body shiver and then heard his laugh-but-also-cry.

“Mate? Are you sure you’re good?” asked Killian, completely lost with how to handle the detective.

“Yes. Yes; everything’s fine!” mumbled Rogers before finally facing Killian.

“You sure?” worried Killian. His eyebrow lifted as he steadied his friend, putting hand and hook on his shoulders.

“It’s over, Killian; we did it!”

“Mate, you’re not making any sense, here! Who did what? What is over? And why are you and the rest of the bloody apartment a bloody mess?”

“Ummh...well, I-”

“Why didn’t you answer your bloody phone?!” spat Killian, his frustration getting the best of him.

Rogers swallowed, bowing his head, ashamed by the lack of explanation toward his friend, who was definitely worried sick... and for good reason. Rogers proposed to sit but Killian simply shook his head, waiting for his answers.

“I… sorry, mate. I should have told you, or Emma, at least. The reason why everything is like this is because we were on a case. Chasing the gang that- well, you know, that did their crazy shit on us, you and the rest of the coven…” Rogers explained in a pained voice.

“Aye. Emma told me about it. So what about those sick bastards?” continued Killian, using a more gentle tone toward the detective.

“Well they, they continued to look for victims, and then when we found them, they saw me, and I knew they would do the math quickly and understand that we were all... _out_. So I’ve kept helping my team from here, making sure to stay covered… perhaps a bit too much, I admit.” The detective chuckled and scratched their nervous spot, behind the ear.

“How long?”

“What?”

“How long have you been locked inside?”

“....a week?” replied Rogers sheepishly.

Killian looked at him, ready to talk, but he remained silent, nodding at the detective before shaking his head. He was furious at the man. Furious he never did say anything to him. Hell, to Emma! He could have explained to her why he never came, instead of keeping the truth from them. A week he was in the fucking hospital, thinking they left him behind!

But he couldn’t just yell at them. Yes, Rogers had made mistakes in his choices, but if they were really after the group that had tortured them, then he was glad Rogers was still alive even after they saw him. He could see how pained the detective was, how relieved he had been the moment he heard those bad guys were down and wouldn’t cause any more trouble, that everybody in the United Realms were truly safe. So Killian said nothing.

“Killian, I, I’m truly sorry. I am! But I couldn’t- they’ve done experiments on us and on other groups! I couldn’t just let them run free! We all wanted to come and see you, Jones! But it was too risky! You have no idea how bad we feel toward you! You-”

“I know.”

Rogers stopped dead in his tracks, realizing he had been about to lose his temper, a single tear rolling down his cheek as he stood dumbfounded by Killian’s words.

“I understand...I; I now see why you never called or came to see me.”

“You do?” croaked Rogers, emotions squeezing his throat tight.

“Aye. I know because I feel the same.” Killian sniffed, tears shining in his eyes, too.

“And I think it’s time to put an end to that self-torture and go home.”

This time it was Killian who unexpectedly came and took Rogers in his embrace, squeezing him tight against him before patting Rogers’ back and letting him go, wiping the moisture from his eyes.

“Alright! Enough sappy mood for now. Let me help you clean that bloody mess!” chuckled Killian lightly, heading for the closest window and opening the shutter, the light making Rogers flinch back.

“Wait, Ki-Nnnngh! ...so much for being a gentleman...” he grumbled loudly, rubbing his red eyes while trying to block out the light with his hand. He’d better find an aspirin or something to fight the growing migraine.

After that, the two pirates worked hard to make the apartment look decent once again, ordering pizza for dinner after Killian had let Emma know he would be staying at Rogers’ for the night. They ate in front of a movie, Killian taking every chance he could get to tease the detective about his voicemail and how he seriously should get a new one at some point.

It only ended up with Killian sleeping on the sofa instead of the guest room.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Silly me miscounted the chapters, so there's actually One more left! So enjoy the little CS fluff before we can all discover how's the other Killians are doing inside their house...

Killian waited another full week after giving Rogers enough time to put things back in order inside the coven before he felt the time was right to broach the subject with Emma. Rogers had texted him Wednesday to let him know he could come back this weekend if he wanted. On this Friday afternoon, only Emma could stop him from going back there. Even though Killian was an independent adult, he knew Emma wouldn’t let him go again just because he said so, and he couldn’t go there in secret like he used to, not after what had happened last time. Thus, he waited for his love to come home to talk about his plan for the evening and Saturday morning.

At midday, Emma was home for their long weekend ahead, as the two of them had taken next Monday and Tuesday off. Getting rid of her coat and boots, leaving all her work stuff on the kitchen table, Emma went to crash on the sofa in the living room a few meters away. She exhaled loudly, slowly feeling her body relax before she took the time to settle herself more comfortably on the couch. A moment later, Killian surprised her from behind, encircling his arms around her shoulders as he peppered her face and neck with kisses. 

“Well hello to you too,” she smiled, lifting her face and catching his lips for a more passionate kiss.

“Hey,” he answered lazily, resting his chin on her left shoulder.

“How has your week been, babe? Going back to full time isn’t too hard?” She was only now realizing that she had never really asked if he was doing good with the new schedule at the police station now that the week was over. He had been assigned to the secretarial office for a few more days before he would be allowed back into the field.

“Working with you never is, love,”

“Mmmh. But you don’t work just with me now that you’re stuck in that chair, do you? There’s...my dad, for instance.”

“Aye, but he’s quite easy to handle,” he assured her, knowing full well it wasn’t true; the two of them were always teasing or arguing about everything and nothing.

“Huff, ‘course he is… well, what about Rogers? Is everything good? Last time you talked about him, well... It wasn’t all love and matey and all,” she threw back, remembering quite well the conversation they’d had while he was at the hospital.

“Aye love. We fixed what needed to be fixed. Including his apartment.” He laughed.

“Oh god, that. I couldn’t believe the pictures you took! The guy’s been quite good at hiding it from us.” She chuckled at the souvenir, too. The rooms were total chaos, and that meant something from her, knowing she wasn’t the one to constantly clean her stuff, unlike Killian.

“Yeah, he was…” Killian whispered absentmindedly.

Silence settled while Killian wondered how he could announce to Emma he wanted to leave the house again and go to the same place where everything had started, where he’d found himself kidnapped. Rationally, nothing would happen: Rogers had stopped the gang, and DarkHook would have made sure everything was more secure. Everything should go well. Yet he couldn't find a good way to tell this to his Swan. The right way.

“Killian?”

“Umh?”

“Something’s bothering you, am I wrong?” she murmured, gently brushing her fingers back and forth on Killian’s forearms and leaving goosebump after her touch.

“Ah, something like that, Swan…” He couldn’t help smiling at the _“told you! Open book,_ ” quote he was sure she was thinking of. “I, I wanted to ask you about something.”

“Sure, babe; what is it?”

“I...it’s been quite a long time now that I haven’t been out…”

“Killian, I, I don’t know if-” She trailed off before he could correct her, while her thoughts led her to start worrying about his safety when he wasn’t with someone she knew, when she couldn’t have any kind of control over him.

“I mean with friends, love.” 

“Friends?” Emma repeated, frowning and turning to face him.

“I- aye. Umh, you know, those. Well, Rogers’ friends,” he tried to explain, hoping her lie detector wouldn’t push him into more dangerous waters.

Emma stared at Killian for what felt like an eternity. _Friends_. Last time he’d been out with friends, he’d ended up in the hospital for days. She let the memory play in her mind, her guts clenching at the dark moments. Was he really sure about going out like that? Was _she_ really ready to let him go once again without her by his side? 

But this wasn’t about her, right? It was his life, his choices. She couldn’t just stop him from having a social interaction with friends. “Rogers’ friends.” The longer she thought about it, the more she started to feel like this wasn’t that terrible a plan. It was strange. She couldn’t help but start to feel ok with the fact that he would be with Rogers and some of his friends, even if she never had their names. It was almost like Killian would be in good hands no matter what.

“Okay.”

“I, wait, did you just agree to this? No more arguments against the plan?” Killian was quite surprised by how easy it was, knowing a few seconds before she’d been considering saying she wasn't open to it. 

“Yeah? I mean, I’m your wife, Killian, and I’m still worried about you, but this is your life. You’re the one making the choices. So if you want to hang out with your friends, then do it.” She smiled, tugging him closer until he sat next to her, holding his hand in hers.“But I wouldn't say no to a few texts so I know where you are...you know, just in case.”

“Aye love, I can do that! Thank you so much for understanding me,” he said, leaning to place a kiss on her lips.

“Of course, you silly! Now, I guess you were going to tell me when you wanted to leave?” she asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I, well...they proposed going to grab a drink at….John’s place tonight. So I would leave around five if, if it’s okay with you, Swan.”

“Aye, go have some fun, buddy!” She tried to copy his accent, and to be honest, she was getting better at it. “But you’re mine for the rest of our weekend when you come back.”

“It’ll be an honor, Princess,” he teased and received a playful yet strong slap on his chest. His Swan was definitely not a princess. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

After kissing her one more time, Killian climbed the stairs to prepare his bag for his return to the coven while Emma started making lunch. They set the table outside while watching Hope, who was happily playing on her tiny play mat. She kept insisting on taking off her small hat that Emma was desperately putting back each time as Killian grinned at his little pirate lass. Also earning a death glare from Emma each time he dared to chuckle at the scene. Around three, the little family ended up lying on the grass, trying to get baby Hope to sleep but without much success... or they thought, as the babe eventually decided to take hold of her father’s chest before falling asleep on Killian, and this time it was Emma who giggled at the pained face he was making each time the tiny fists squeezed his chest hair a little too hard.

Two hours later, as the sun slowly ended its race across the sky, plunging the landscape in warm colors, Killian bid them goodbye, making sure to fill his two girls with all his love before he was on his way to the coven. He texted Rogers, then made his way through the dense forest surrounding the secret realm. His path was as complex and near-impassable as the first time he had made his way to the coven, Mother Nature doing her part to hide the trail he had made, covering any indication of human presence, keeping the place secret and away from prying eyes. Following his instincts, Killian slowly progressed between treacherous roots and creepers until he landed on a clean forest path. The path that would lead him to his dedicated door that allowed him to go through the magical barrier protecting the coven. 

At an intersection, a wooden signpost stood proudly, arrows pointing in different directions, most of them blank or covered with green moss, the occasional small mushroom growing on it. But where everyone else would have seen nothing, Killian and the other Hooks had the path to follow to the mansion. Grinning at the familiar writing, Killian looked behind him, making sure no one was following before he started down the last portion of the journey. The path widened, looking more like a hiking track as it followed the river that would open into the lake a few miles later. 

When Killian arrived at a small bridge, he stopped and turned right, crossing the river thanks to the old contraption. A few meters in front of him was his door, or what looked like a door. He never really tried to look at it in detail; the place was too dark from the shade cast by the surrounding tall trees to see anything with the naked eye, even during daylight hours. Killian just knew where to reach for the door knob. But today, he stopped in front of it, feeling the shadows weighing on him, almost choking him. His hand grabbed the handle but he did nothing, contemplating his choice instead, his decision: _to go back in, or not? Was it really safe?_ Deep down, he knew he would never be really safe; there would always be troubles to come. And so would his life be in Storybrooke: bad guys weren’t ever far away. With determination, Killian shook his head, opened the door, and entered the secret realm.

To hell with the troubles or dangers. They would face them together, whether here with the other Hooks or in Storybrooke with his True Love and friends.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear. That's it, that's the last chapter! What a ride my friends, it has been an amazing journey to write but also by reading all your reactions. I know I haven't answered to all of them but know that every words, tag or "!!" got me smiling ♥  
> So I hope you enjoyed that story and on that I will let your read another small view of the coven..(that might come in visual one day ;))  
> Again, a hell of a thanks to @hookaroo for her amazing beta and reactions

The place in front of him was peaceful, almost heaven-like, smelling of home. The big house proudly standing in the middle of the clearing, emitting a welcoming warmth. A gentle breeze blowing through the tall trees surrounding the coven. Killian took the time to enjoy the familiar view, inhaling each scent the wind was carrying. After ten good minutes bathing in the light of the orange sunset, Killian shook his head a little and quickly walked toward the main door of the house, swallowing down the building tension at the idea of finding all the Hooks that had lived inside him for several days, returned. Jones knocked at the wooden door, waiting for someone to open and welcome him back. But there was nothing. Frowning, Killian tried to open the door himself and was surprised to find it completely unlocked. He stared at the empty hallway for a few seconds, trying to wrap his mind around the situation. 

“Oh come on, mate! If it’s open, it means they’re somewhere inside!” Killian roused himself, shaking the bad scenarios out of his head, and entered the house, closing the door behind himself.

The noise echoed in the hall, no other sounds of life reaching his ears. Only a chilling sensation that ran through his whole body.

“Hello? Mates! Is there somebody here? I’m back! It’s Killian!” 

But after each call, he was met with a defiant silence. _Could something be wrong?_ Killian thought, but forced his mind to push the idea aside. The house was big; it wasn’t called a coven for nothing. There was a chance the rest of the Hooks were simply at the opposite end of the mansion and had not heard him arrive. Killian quietly made his way to the kitchen, only the clock’s ticking filling the room with something other than the heavy silence that was ruling over the rest of the place. Outside, the natural light was slowly fading and soon, the night sky took its place, the moon rising among the stars that were already starting to shine. So Killian continued his search with no luck in any of the following rooms, where he left the light on just in case. He was always met with the same loneliness and stillness. His voice echoed between the walls before disappearing. He then climbed the stairs, but again, the rooms upstairs, along with their bedroom, were empty, barely a sign that someone had used the bed recently. 

Killian stopped a moment, shivering as emotions got the best of him: he was alone and there was no trace of any Hooks so far. Killian realized then that their constant company over several days had left a hole inside of him after they were freed from the prison that his own mind had been for them, a hole that lingered after they had never tried to reach him while he was stuck in the hospital. And right now, that hole was back, filling Killian with its coldness. His throat squeezed shut as he sat on the edge of the bed, his legs becoming jello underneath him. He took his head in his hand, closing his eyes as he tried to focus on something else, brighter thoughts, steadier breaths, anything that would help calm his racing heart. 

Then, in the middle of the deathly silence, a yell echoed, making Killian jump. Adrenaline filled his muscles and the next minute he was breathing hard downstairs, looking frantically in each room, trying to find the origin of the sound. While he was turning to leave one of the huge living rooms, someone gasped behind him. Killian found himself paralysed by the first “human sound” he was hearing after so many minutes believing he was the only human being inside the house. Very slowly, Killian turned himself so he could see who had just made the new sound. His gaze focused on the small human at the opposite end of the room. And just like that, joy bubbled inside Killian and a grin crept onto his face as his eyes watered at the sight of the youngest Killian. The lad was standing near the door that opened on the garden, looking as surprised as Killian before he sprinted toward Jones, screaming his name with a giant smile on his lips. Jones felt his legs give out and fell on his knees just in time to catch the young bullet in his arms and hug him fiercely. 

“Gosh, I was so worried, lad!” Killian half sobbed, half laughed in Young Killian’s hair. “I found the coven empty, thought something bad had happened to you all again!” 

“You silly brother!” the lad giggled, kissing Jones on the cheek before sticking his tongue out.

“Is that really good form, lad?” Lieutenant Jones’s voice echoed.

“But L.J.! Killian thought we weren’t here!” The lad laughed again while the newcomer started to tickle him from behind.

“Oi, boys! Get your sorry asses over here! Jones’s arrived!” the deep voice of Old Hook echoed outside before the man stepped inside, smiling at Killian.

Without having to wait any longer, the rest of the coven had gathered inside the living room and soon, Jones was surrounded by hugs and familiar faces telling him how much they’d missed having him around. It was all happiness and love until DarkHook stepped inside at his turn, wiping dirt off his hand on the apron tied around his hips, his hook stained with black marks. The group quieted and slightly stepped away from Jones, who was still grinning at his welcome surprise, leaving place for the Dark One to come closer. He studied Killian, emotion swirling on his face, but Killian, who had stood up, couldn’t focus on them, couldn’t read what DarkHook was really thinking or feeling. But the sudden embrace answered his questions.

“I’m sorry, Jones. We, we should have reached out to you sooner. I should have,” the man murmured.

“It’s okay. I understand your reasons…” Killian answered, knowing why it had been complicated. Archie and Rogers had helped him understand that.

“No it’s not. There’s not a single reason that would excuse my behavior-”

“Mate. Let me be clear with you. With you all,” Killian started, stepping out of DarkHook’s embrace and looking at the others. “I don’t bloody care about anyone’s apologies, or who is the most sorry for what happened. All that matters is that you... _we_ , are all safe here. That we’re together again!” Jones stopped a moment, letting his words settle in each Hook’s mind. “And I would go through every trouble again, because in the end, we’re all in this together and that’s all that matters. It’s all I need.”

Jones looked at every familiar face, smiling back or nodding, while his own emotions threatened to spill out. The silence was broken by DarkHook’s chuckle. 

“Alright, well, I _almost_ missed your hope speeches, Jones!”

Killian closed his eyes at the man’s reaction, biting his tongue in order to restrain his need to insult him. Deep down, he knew he was right, that he was being a “drama-queen,” as Emma called him sometimes. So he simply laughed, and the rest of the men joined him.

“Umh, mates? Did someone put the meat on the fire?!” asked Deckhand Hook anxiously when thick smoke filled the view they had of the garden. 

“Bloody Hell…” grumbled DarkHook. He ran outside, soon followed by Rogers, who had grabbed his blue apron. 

But thankfully, all meat and vegetables were saved from carbonization and the barbecue party could begin under the light of magical paper lanterns that Young Killian and his two small friends had helped to make, their happy conversation and laughter blending with the song of the crickets and the two screech owls that were surrounding the meadow. Later, they drank to the safe return of the Hooks inside their Coven, and to the end of that crazy asshole gang.

Their sleep was filled with dreams that night and the morning was just as sweet as Killian could expect. 

With his heart tight in his chest, Jones took his backpack and threw it over his shoulder, then waved goodbye to his friends as he prepared to return to his Swan.

“Well, I’ll see you all next Friday, then?” Killian laughed before turning his back to the coven and disappearing into the vegetation, the promise of a prolonged weekend waiting for him at home.

**Author's Note:**

> Now now now, I know that one was ultra short so the next chapter will be up sunday's night ;)


End file.
